It is seems that the decline of print media maybe affecting Egypt as well but for political reasons and not convenience as it is in the U.S. My research shows that there are approximately 18 printed newspapers and printed periodicals and over 60 online media outlets in Egypt. The fact that there are so many more online media sites than printed media maybe attributed to the fact that the government owns a controlling stock in the three major daily newspapers: Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar, and Al-Gumhuriya. The president also appoints the editors of these dailies so he controls the messages that the public receives. Fourteen political parties also have their own media but because they get money from the government, the President controls their information as well. It is obvious why the Internet is important to anyone who is in opposition to the government. If you have distrust in the government and oppose the way the country is being run, you distrust the media that is controlled by the government. Because you have to be licensed by the Egyptian government to even start a newspaper, the chances of an anti-government group receiving a license is slim to none. It should be noted that radio and television programming is also controlled by the government, but satellite stations are popping up to circumvent this.
Of the over 80 million people who inhabit Egypt, 1,400,000 have computers and 450,000 have Internet access. I believe that in the case of the Egyptian uprising against the government, the people had to become the media out of necessity to let the world know what is really going on and not what the government says is going on. This is why the government tried to limit this information by shutting off the Internet services. However, that move only proved that the people were not being allowed to freely express themselves in their country which is a republic, a government that is supposedly a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies represent the needs and wants of the people. Doesn’t seem to be the case, right?! Many people are questioning why the world did not know about the social unrest in Egypt. It’s really quite simple; a government-run media cannot be effective. What do you think?
To check my sources:(http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Egypt.html and http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/egypt.htm.
I feel that the people had to make their voices heard on their on terms. Just as it is in many countries in the middle east,, more particularly Iran, where people are blatantly censored and their only options are places like youtube to get their message out. While the death toll wasn't that of the protests in Iran where a young girl was shot on the streets and we wouldn't have known about it if it weren't for Youtube Egypt will hopefully begin to heal now and a true democracy can be put in place so that the people can begin to control what the true news and issues of the people are.
ReplyDeleteI no longer think that any major new outlet can be thought of as objective, and the only reality that can be expected will come from the social networking sites. In any government where the freedom of speech is not guaranteed, or even where it is, if a situation requires, government can enact certain influences or incentives to control what the news outlets consider news worthy.
ReplyDeleteA government-run media CANNOT be effective. Your article states that the people had to become the media out of necessity to let the world know what is really going on and not what the government says is going on. That's really important. They did not rely on what the media was saying and accept it as truth. I am impressed with their initiative and seeming unity. I compare that to Americans and almost agree with the international sentiment that Americans are lazy. What has happened to social movements and independent thinking in America?
ReplyDeleteI‘m in total agreement with your statement that,” a government run media cannot be effective”. The media must be independent of the government and capitalism to provide unfiltered information that is important and necessary for the public. As media becomes more condensed, the public will continue to look to social media/the internet as a reliable news source.
ReplyDeleteA government controlling the media is a complete FAIL!!! This is clearly evident in this particular situation in the Egyptian uprising against the government. The people know what they want and will make sure they get it!
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