Transformations in Egyptian Journalism

Contents Executive Summary vii Note on Transliteration of Arabic x Historical Background to the Rise of Egyptian Journalism xi Guide to Egyptian Media Outlets Mentioned in the Report xv Names and Positionsof Some Egyptian Journalists and Bloggers Mentioned in the Report xvii 1. A National Rethink of News Values 1 Intensified repression of the media under SCAF 4 A re-energised news sector 12 Overview 19 2. Lessons from the Push for Professional Autonomy 21 Diverse approaches to the profession 23 Individuals vs institutions 33 Attitudes to social media as tools of news-gathering 41 3. Stimuli for a Public Service Ethos 49 Journalists' initiatives outside the state-run media 51 Public owenership scenarios for state-run publications 56 Support for an independent ERTU 63 Implications for journalism in the private commercial sector 69 4. Nuts and Bolts of a New Deal 73 Unionisation in a legal limbo 76 Voluntary codes at company level 81 Scope for cross-border support 83 Labour and NGO laws' impact on free speech 87 5. Conclusions 89 Recommendations 92 Notes 94 Bibliography 106 Acknowledgements 109