A monitoring report by ANHRI on the Egyptian “Al-Akhbar” newspaper: From January ‘conspiracy’ then January people’s revolution to ‘Mama Qatar’ down to the liquidation of 27 ‘infidels’

Cairo: 30 September 2019

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) released today a monitoring report tracking the Egyptian “Al-Akhbar” newspaper’s tendency and coverage and how it fluctuates or swings its editorial policy following the track of the ruling power, since the outbreak of January 25 Revolution until now. The report also explains how far the newspaper shies away from journalistic professionalism; as it speaks in a way that only reflects the ruling regime and its whims and wishes, to the detriment of the profession of journalism, on the one hand, and the people’s right to knowledge and information, on the other.

The report, entitled “Al-Akhbar newspaper… You no longer have the right to know”, encompasses examples of the headlines and news reports published by the publication throughout eight years; from the last days of Mubarak’s rule during the great January Revolution, which was described at that time as a “plot”, to the period following the overthrow of Mubarak, when the uprising was then described by the newspaper as a “people’s revolution”. The report also monitors Al-Akhbar’s distinctive turnabout in its views towards Mubarak’s regime symbols/figures as it called them “culprits”, and how it had started shifting its policy during the rule of the military junta (after Mubarak’s overthrow) changing its stance towards the Revolution to mirror that of the Military Council.

The report also keeps track of the newspaper’s coverage under the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) during which deceased President Mohamed Morsi took the reins of power, when Al-Akhbar described Qatar as “Mama Qatar” extolling President Morsi. The report then points out how this view was changed following the subsequent military takeover, during which the alliance of Qatar and MB was described by the publication as “The Devil Alliance”, to the extent that their victims were called “infidels” as read such weird and ironic headline “15 fighters martyred, 27 infidels liquidated”.

Releasing this report, ANHRI believes that the Egyptian state-owned official newspaper “Al-Akhbar” has abandoned its commitment to professionalism; when it become more like the post or the mail of the ruling regime and not a national newspaper that expresses or reflects the people, but even rather, it harms the profession of journalism in many cases when it deviates from the principles and standards of professionalism.

You can check the report through the following link: