First: News websites
1- “Masrawy” news website, 16 September:
Foreign Ministry: Egypt is determined to continue advancing the human rights situation
Ambassador Alaa Rushdi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights and International Social and Humanitarian Affairs and Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Permanent Supreme Committee for Human Rights, affirmed that Egypt is determined to continue advancing the human rights situation and building on the actual progress achieved…
This came when the Assistant Minister received, today, Thursday, a delegation that includes pastors of the Apostolic churches around the world from the United States, Canada, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, headed by Rev. Nasser Katkut, head of the General Synod of Evangelical Apostolic Churches in Egypt.
The delegation congratulated the Egyptian side on this inspiring achievement for all countries and peoples. The members of the delegation also expressed their gratitude to the Egyptian government and people, led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, for sponsoring the principles of freedom of thought, religion and belief under the umbrella of citizenship and the constitution.
Analysis:
The news piece quoted the official praising the achievements made by the government in the advancement of human rights, and then the journalist proceeds to quote another statement made by delegation that met the official, using the language: “to continue advancing the human rights situation and building on the actual progress achieved… on this inspiring achievement for all countries and peoples”. The piece becomes a propaganda and promotional advertisement for officials and has nothing to do with the balance nor objectivity of what is published about human rights criticism, which is often directed to many countries, and not to Egypt.
2- “Youm7” news website publishes, on 16 September, a report that reads:
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that the Egyptian state’ institutions are what rule the country, and they are members of society, and that Egyptians should be assured that there is no violation of human rights in Egypt. He added: “I am concerned that the Egyptians appreciate and believe that there is no violation of human rights whatsoever”
The president revealed that within weeks, an “American-style” prison complex, which will be the largest in the country, will be opened.
Analysis:
The news piece reported that the president denies the existence of human rights violations in Egypt, but it didn’t mention any information about why the president said so and what kind of occasion that led him to deny the existence of human rights violations. So the piece is devoid of one of the most important principles of journalism, as it didn’t answer a main question, which is: Why is President Sisi saying so?
The journalist has to link the president’s statement with a precedent news story that revealed the United States withholding $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt because of “human rights violations in Egypt”, as Washington put it.
What is striking in this regard is the absence of this news story in most of Egypt’s news website in a great media blackout regarding the issue, despite the fact that the president himself referred to it and his remarks were in response to the accusations raised by the United States.
3- “Mobtada” websites publishes, on 17 September, a news story:
Minister of Higher Education: We spent 7 billion pounds to provide distinguished digital government services
At the beginning of his speech, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar welcomed all participants in the forum, expressing his sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who took part in organizing the forum. He expressed his wishes that the forum achieve its desired goals and represent a real addition to the efforts made by state institutions in the field of digital transformation.
Abdel Ghaffar stressed that the forum acquires its importance from the axes and topics it deals with. These topics revolve around digital transformation in higher education and scientific research, as one of the Egyptian government’s priorities that aim at keeping pace with the tremendous technological revolution, which is one of the most important manifestations of human progress.
Analysis
* The report lacked any information about the conditions of higher education in Egypt and turned into a propaganda report that only promotes the efforts made by the Ministry. The Minister pays tribute to his efforts in developing education, although the report primarily talks about a forum in which press questions can be raised to challenge and correspond to what the minister listed so as to clarify the declared figures and make a journalistic balance. But none of which is mentioned by the report, making it a promotional act that can be included in the framework of government advertisements and not press reports.
4- “Al-Watan” news website publishes, on 17 September, a report that says:
Information about Tik Tok girl Mocha Hegazy: she confessed to having sexual intercourse with 5 people
Search engines have been rife with questions about Mocha Hegazy, the Tik Tok girl, after she revealed, during investigation currently conducted with her, that she had sex with 5 people about 10 times, and that she was staying with a young man named Ayman, for a period of time at his house. In the following lines, “Al-Watan” outlines the top 10 information about the Tik Tok girl Mocha Hegazy, who has stirred controversy during the past few hours.
This report falls under the so-called yellow journalism which looks for sex and provocation and uses poor and abusive language in order to attract large numbers. The report violated all ethical rules, as it published information revealed in what it said to be underway investigations into a case that is still pending in court, and this may affect the public opinion and tarnish the reputation of the accused girl and defame her without mentioning any defense from her or from her lawyer.
5- “Al-Dostour” website, 19 September:
The Prosecution about the defendants accused in” Helwan terrorist cell” Case: “They have lost their way and their ideas are terrorist and subversive”
The Prosecution attacked the defendants and said: “They have gone astray, underestimated the human soul and stripped it of its value for the sake of subversive ideas and terrorist beliefs. Life will not be stable and security will not prevail unless this group is eradicated. Our case is a case of premeditated murder to achieve terrorist purposes.”
Case details:
The incidents took place following the dispersal of the Rabaa and al-Nahda armed sit-ins, where the defendants participated in a bloody scheme to overthrow the state at the time. Their multiple crimes resulted in the killing of a citizen, kidnapping, detention and torture of another, whom are believed that they had instructed the security forces against the the terrorist group’s members.
Analysis
This report has nothing to do with journalism, as it talks about a case that is still pending before the judiciary, from one point of view, which makes the journalist judge without considering the defendants’ defense. The report is devoid of the simplest rules of justice in the judiciary and journalism. Although he mentioned the word “defendants,” the journalist relied only on the opinion of the prosecution to convict them, as he wrote: “the defendants participated in a bloody scheme to topple the state at the time, and their multiple crimes resulted in the killing of a citizen, kidnapping, detention and torture of another.” The journalist here proclaimed himself a judge and convicted the defendants, and his report lacks impartiality, objectivity and fairness. What is strange here also is that he did not publish any statements of the accused or their lawyers.
6- Sada El-Bald publishes, on 19 September, a news story that reads:
Shaarawy: 180,000 projects carried out so far with loans worth EGP 21 billion within your “Mashrouak” providing more than one million jobs, Minya governorate comes at the forefront
Major General Mahmoud Sharawy, Minister of Local Development, said that the national project for community, human and local development “Mashrouak” (Your Project) has contributed, since the start of FY 2021/2022, to the implementation of 3,500 projects, with funding of EGP 746m. These projects have contributed to generating about 42,000 jobs.
The total projects implemented by “Your Project” so far are close to 180,000 with loans worth EGP 21bn, generating more than 1.5 million jobs.
Analysis
To begin with, this news piece is first and foremost propaganda. It clearly promotes the ministry and the minister’s projects and only quoted the minister’s speech without citing any other source. Secondly, these numbers seem very big and conspicuous to any journalist and even an ordinary citizen, which requires further examination and scrutiny. The minister says that “3500 projects have been implemented since last July”, which means that 3500 projects have been carried out within 3 months! How couldn’t this number draw the journalist’s mind to get back to the official and verify it? Therefore, it’s clear, and with a simple calculation, that more than 35 projects are being done per day according to the minister’s statements! How this can be done?!
The report clearly lacks accuracy and objectivity and depends only on propaganda
Second: Talk shows
1- “Akher Al-Nahar” program – Tamer Amin – Episode of Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Tamer Amin says, “Egypt is perhaps the only country that stands with the Libyan people without having any interest, without whims and without an agenda. It stands with Libya for the sake of Libya.”
ANHRI’s comment:
Tamer contradicted what was stated by the program’s correspondent during a report on the Libyan delegation’s visit to Egypt. The reporter quoted the official spokesman for the Presidency of the Republic, as saying that “the well-established Egyptian policy considers Libya’s political and security stability to be part of Egypt’s stability”, and this contradicts Tamer’s claim that Egypt has no interest in standing with the Libyan people. It also contradicts the nature of matters in the field of politics where it is a well-known fact that interests control the relations of states with each other especially contiguous and boundary states. Tamer hence didn’t adhere to accuracy, honesty and objectivity in addressing the topic as required by clauses (1) and (2) of the media honor code.
2- “Paper and Pen“- Nashaat El-Dihi- episode of Tuesday 14 September 2021
Speaking of the US administration withholding $130 million out of $300 million in military aid to Egypt until its government meets a set of human rights conditions, this media professional devoted his episode not only to insult international or independent Egyptian human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) but also to disseminate false and misleading information, such as the following:
– He claimed that NGOs did not establish any literacy classes or hospitals
– He claimed that a rights lawyer has 25 million pounds in his daughter’s piggy bank
– He said that Amnesty International is located in the United States
ANHRI’s comment:
– This media worker ignores the fact that many development, health and governmental projects have been supported and funded by international institutions, to the extent that a human rights defender established 6 public libraries in popular neighborhoods before the security services closed them in a police manner.
– He deliberately propagated the rumor that the piggy bank of a daughter of a human rights activist contains a huge amount of money. This media worker should be punished for spreading rumors against the activist, if it weren’t for his close relation to the authorities and the protection they provide for him.
– He gave false information about the location of the headquarters of Amnesty International, which is one of the most important human rights organizations in the world, and shows that he either knows the truth and lies or fails to adhere to the rules of media work obligates him to verify information (the main headquarters of Amnesty International is the United Kingdom and not the United States, as the media professional said).
3- “On My responsibility“- Ahmed Mosa- Episode of Tuesday 14 September 2021
Ahmed Mosa said: Today we are going to talk about the United Nations report on human development and this is the first time we have this report. It’s not us who issue this report, but neutral parties who have nothing to do with the government or with anyone else. They pay tribute to Egypt and the achievements it has made through the past years.
ANHRI’s comment:
– False information
Ahmed Mosa claimed the Human Development Report was issued for the first time! And this is wrong; as Egypt had launched about 12 human development reports before. It used to release it since 1994 but it only stopped in 2010.
Another false information:
The media professional claimed that the report was issued by neutral parties, whereas its main author is: Dr. Khaled Zakaria Amin, director of the Center for Macroeconomic Policies at the National Planning Institute, which is a government institute affiliated with the Ministry of Planning.
4- “Al-Hayah Al-Youm“- Lobna Aasal- 15 September 2021
Lobna said: Dr. Assem Al-Gazzar, the Minister of Housing, spoke about the establishment of new cities in Egypt and he said that it is the largest and most successful experience of its kind in the world, adding that no country in the world has been able to carry out such amount of projects of new cities in this short period of time.
ANHRI’s comment:
Lobna quoted the Minister of Housing speaking about his achievements and comparing them to the world at large, using the best preference to declare his superiority over all the world’s housing ministers. The anchorwoman didn’t, however, comment on his words. She didn’t question him or verify his statements, or pay an attempt to understand the foundations and criteria on which he based his comparison. Lobna hence failed to adhere to accuracy, honesty, objectivity and balance in her presentation of the topic.
5- “On My Responsibilty“- Ahmed Mosa- Episode of Wednesday 15 September 2021
Mosa: Today, the UN Security Council called for reaching a legal binding deal on the filling and operation of the dam, as soon as possible, and under the auspices of the African Union. This transformation means that Ethiopia has to abide by a legal obligation, meaning that it cannot come up with statements saying that it refuses to resume the negotiations. Ethiopia’s remarks are over.
ANHRI’s comment:
Commenting on the presidential statement issued by the Security Council on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Mosa claimed that this statement is binding for the Ethiopian side and accordingly Ethiopia must comply with it and resume the negotiations. Mosa’s claim contradicts the fact that this statement is a mere call from the Security Council to encourage the three conflicting countries to resume negotiations, and this is confirmed in the acknowledgment that concluded the statement, which stressed the Security Council’s lack of competence to resolve cross-border disputes or conflicts over water, a disclaimer that Mosa overlooked referring to.
6- “Al-Hekayah“- Amr Adib- Episode of Friday, 17 September 2021
Amr said: Ultimately, a big percentage or 90% of those in prisons, in Egypt or in the entire world, are held over traditional crimes, I mean not political crimes…I am not speaking about political detainees/prisoners. I am speaking about a man who is sentenced to prison for smuggling drugs, for example, and his prison term is 10 years. Where can we put him then? Sheraton! (Of course not), but all the President is saying is that he doesn’t want this man to be punished twice. He will be imprisoned for 10 years, so this period doesn’t necessarily have to be harsh for him. He should receive human treatment. Prisons are not always made for politicians… Enhancing the conditions of prisons is a human right. People should receive dignified treatment when they are imprisoned. They shouldn’t be tortured, harassed, or held in solitary confinement.
ANHRI’s comment:
Not only did Amr Adib turn a blind eye to political prisoners, their conditions, and how they are treated in prison but also he denied them their right to a dignified treatment in prison. There is no doubt that those rights that Amr acknowledged for criminal prisoners (or traditional prisoners, as he put it), including decent treatment and the right not to be subjected torture or solitary confinement, should be provided to all kind of prisoners (political and criminal prisoners likewise) by virtue of the Constitution’s provision.
And when Amr asserted that he does not mean political prisoners (when speaking about the conditions of prisons) in more than one place, commenting on the President’s statements regarding prisons delivered via an interview in a TV program, he violates a basic provision and articles of the constitution which emphasizes that all citizens are equal before the Law, and that they all are equal and duties when it comes to prison laws.
8- “Kelma Akhira“- Lamis El-Hadidi- Episode of Saturday 18 September 2021
Lamis said: We may be used to seeing in films and cinematic movies that psychological, economic or any other problems stand behind suicide cases, but we may find out later that the one who commits suicide doesn’t necessarily have to be economically or psychologically stressed. This can be proved when we see that the highest rates of suicide are found in the most high-income and most developed countries.
ANHRI’s comment:
Lamis didn’t adhere to accuracy while giving this piece of information (the highest rates of suicide exist in countries of luxury spending and high Income earners). Referring to the the World Health Organization website, we find that 79% of global suicide cases took place in low and middle-income countries. And although the official page of the embassy of one of these developed countries denied such a lie, Lamis insisted on repeating it during her program covering the incident of a girl who jumped to her death from the sixth floor of a mall in Cairo.
9- “Akhir Al-Nahar“- Mohamed El-Baz- Episode of Sunday, 19 September 2021
Mohamed El-Baz said: On 29 August, the Court of Administrative Justice issued a ruling obligating the Board of Directors of the Writers Union to hold the midterm elections as soon as possible, or within a month of the issuing the ruling… And the head of the Writers Union is procrastinating and delaying the decision. He does not want to hold the elections so that he remains in power and in control of everything.
Then he interviewed, via phone, the lawyer who lodged the Egyptian Writers Union’s lawsuit to continue directing accusations against the head of the Union.
Then he concluded with by accusing the Writers Union of publishing stolen literary works and publishing books of Muslim Brotherhood- affiliated writers.
ANHRI’s comment:
Al-Baz did not guarantee the right of reply to the head of the Writers Union, whom he accused of refusing to implement a court ruling, as if this segment of his episode is dedicated to insulting him. The anchorman didn’t draw his guest’s attention to the necessity to commit to neutrality in presenting his comment on the issue; rather, he allowed him to defame the Writers Union’s head under no evidence or substantiated accusation. Also, he didn’t mention any details about the stolen literary works that the union was accused of publishing. He didn’t verify the accuracy of the information presented to the viewer.
Third: Printed newspapers
1- “Al-Akhbar” newspaper, issue of Sunday 19 September, A column by the newspaper’s Chairman of the Board of Directors “Ahmed Galal”, entitled “A New Morning”
Ahmed Galal says that “Egypt has jumped 38 places in the index of the safest countries in the world (in 2021) thanks to the wise leadership”.
Comment: This is false information disseminated by the news story’s writer, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
citing a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit
2- “Al-Akhbar” newspaper, issue of Monday 20 September
The issue included a file entitled “The Promise… O Egypt, you’re as big as the world”
The 76-page issue of Al-Akhbar newspaper included 84 pictures of the President of the Republic.
Comment:
84 pictures of the President are published in just one newspaper issue; 84 pictures in 76 pages, with an average of more than one picture per page.
This is something that makes the newspaper deviate from its role as a publication concerned with news, information and opinion articles, turning it to a propaganda bulletin.
