December 1, 2015—Internationally acclaimed Egyptian researcher and journalist Ismail Alexandrani, an expert on Sinai affairs, is currently being interrogated by state security prosecutors following his arrest on Sunday evening.
Read More »PODCAST | ISIS, Revolutionary Romance and the Seduction of Social Media
In the 1960s, marginalized and disenchanted by the social order, veteran journalist Abdallah Schleifer joined a rebellious literary movement and became a social revolutionary. Decades later, he reflects on what attracted him to the far left movement. In this excerpt from a longer conversation, Schleifer unpacks what draws marginalized youth to ISIS, articulating that just like the social revolutionary movements of the ’60s, the appeal of ISIS is not ideological, but rather existential.
Read More »PODCAST | The Paris Attacks and the Refugee Narrative
With the tragic attacks in Paris last week, the emerging discourse has inevitably connected this atrocity to the migration crisis, particularly the influx of Syrian refugees into Europe. The closing of borders, and the decision to further restrict the flow of refugees by several Western countries has further escalated the already contentious debate about how best to handle this crisis. In light of this, we speak with The Guardian correspondent Patrick Kingsley about the media narrative around the crisis.
Read More »PODCAST | Questioning the Narrative
Abdalla Hassan, author of Media, Revolution and Politics in Egypt (I.B. Tauris) and Associate Director of the Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism, speaks with outspoken TV presenter Reem Maged about the post-revolution media landscape and freedom of expression in Egypt. Maged spoke to us following her lecture on "Media Manipulation" at the American University in Cairo.
Read More »Nov. 10, 2015 – Egypt rights group denounces anchorwoman’s suspension
On Monday The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounced the suspension of Azza Elhenawy, an anchorwoman at Egypt's state television for comments she made on her show earlier this month. (Aswat Masriya)
Read More »Newsweek Lands in the Middle East
Last week a Middle East version of veteran American publication Newsweek was launched by the Dubai-based Pakistani broadcasting company ARY Digital Network. This marks the eighth international edition of the 82-year-old publication. We speak with senior deputy editor Leila Hatoum about the new venture. (Arab Media & Society)
Read More »PODCAST | Tackling Egypt’s National Broadcasting Dilemma
For the first episode of the Arab Media & Society Podcast, Managing Editor Sarah El-Shaarawi speaks with Hafez Al Mirazi, a veteran of Arab and international broadcasting and Director of the Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism at the American University in Cairo about why reforming Egyptian national broadcasting is essential to its survival.
Read More »Oct. 31, 2015 – Egypt journalist and chief editor referred to criminal court
A journalist and the editor-in-chief of a magazine run by the state-owned Akhbar Al-Youm news organisation were referred to a criminal court on Saturday for publishing and writing an article containing "obscene sexual content." (Aswat Masriya)
Read More »Oct. 30, 2015 – Controversial TV anchorwoman Riham Saeed resigns as channel suspends her show
Al-Nahar TV Network announced Friday the suspension of Sabaya al-Kheir TV program hosted by controversial anchorwoman Riham Saeed, who resigned amid public outrage against her for airing personal photos of a guest on her show without her permission. Last Tuesday, Saeed hosted Somaya Tarek, who claims to have been harassed by a man in a Heliopolis mall. On her show, Saeed appeared to defend the man and blame the woman, implying that Tarek "had brought it on herself." (Aswat Masriya)
Read More »A Marriage of Misunderstanding
In April 2014, Egypt’s then foreign minister Nabil Fahmy used a marriage simile to describe the country’s relationship with the United States. At home, the expression didn’t translate. Muhammad Y Gamal discusses the challenges associated with media translation, and makes a case for the development of a coherent media translation policy in Egypt.
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