Neither Egyptians nor Arabs in general believe the Egyptian media’s propaganda these days.
It’s all lies and cheap publicity to mislead people, who are now aware of the truth behind the deceitful media platform that presents fraudulent information in many ways to cover up the policies of the collapsing regime that are not serving the people.
The regime cannot improve people’s lives, which I don’t need to talk about since their hardships are known to everyone.
For decades, Egyptians have known the truth behind this false media. They know who leads the media, who funds it, and how much money is spent on it. They also know who is the broadcaster who misuses media outlets to spread the regime’s lies, believing that the government will gain the trust of the Egyptian people through such cheap tactics.
The Egyptian people are not stupid and have exposed such deceit as they are educated and open-minded. That’s why they watch Arab and international satellite channels, including Al Jazeera, which tops their list of favourite TV channels.
Al Jazeera is watched and trusted by Egyptians of all ages, unlike their crumbling media outlets, which present poor material and biased reporting that remind us of the 1950s and 1960s, when nothing but news about the president was reported.
The Egyptian media today is run by the same people who did that in the past; they are hypocrites who never change.
Also, as the Egyptian media does not enjoy the freedom and democracy of our media, it hides the truth, which prevents people from following it as they do not trust the directors who make things look and smell like stale food.
The Egyptian media has insulted Qatar, its people and some Arab countries for years. It is still playing this dirty game. One day, when the mask of this false media falls, its true face and the hidden truth will be revealed.
If we study the history of the Egyptian media, especially its recent history, we find that it has achieved the following:
1. Promoted hatred among the Egyptian people.
2. Insulted the GCC countries, especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia;
3. Destroyed relations between Egypt and Arab and Islamic countries by promoting sectarianism and racism.
4. Resorted to fraud and lies to mislead the Egyptian public, distorted the truth and published fabricated interviews.
5. Made use of some broadcasters to promote the state’s policies under the pretext of defending Egypt. (This is a reflection of the media’s ignorance, as it does not comply with the international code of conduct that all media outlets respect.)
6. Portrayed the oppressed as the oppressor and vice versa in a propaganda exercise bereft of any credibility, objectivity and neutrality. We can easily call it the media of hypocrisy.
7. Spread rumours of war to hide the truth of the government’s incoherent policy, as it exports its crises abroad through these media outlets.
8. It is unfortunate to find some Egyptian leaders in the media who contribute to this process of misleading by promoting hatred towards some sections of the Egyptian society, besides defaming some countries and their political figures.
9. Used some local homosexual actors to defame some countries and their Arab and non-Arab leaders, and insulted their religious sect. There is no doubt that this is done for political gain.
The Maspero event was mentioned in an Arab satellite channel, and how the ignorant Egyptian media handled it!
Also, the Egyptian media mishandled news of the clashes between Copts and the troops in which 25 people died and hundreds were injured, prompting a lot of debate about the role of official media outlets. Some even accused the media of encouraging religious strife.
The media was accused of hiding the truth and promoting lies, and it was not the first time the official Egyptian TV channels were facing these accusations.
One of the flaws was the rushed coverage of the event, which lasted hours. This was besides the reporting by some broadcasters that the army was subjected to violent attacks by Coptic protesters.
Many considered these reports to have promoted sectarian strife, and yet they were justified by Osama Heikal, the minister of information at that time, who claimed that the broadcasters were under pressure due to the fast-moving events.
An Egyptian living in Qatar said: “Trust me, dear brother, Qatar is in the hearts of every free and honest Egyptian, despite what these criminals do or say.”
We ignore this dirty media to preserve our high level of ethics when we speak about facts, and that is what they are afraid of; they wish to drag us down to their level.
Egyptian broadcasters receive millions every year from the authorities and businesses. Their officials have high salaries while many Egyptian people live under the poverty line.
Egyptians are not stupid to believe the Egyptian media. They are educated and like to watch Arab and foreign channels like Al Jazeera, ignoring what is broadcast on Egyptian TV.
To conclude, Saad Hagras, the political thinker and editor-in-chief of The World Today newspaper, said that corruption in the media was the most serious issue in Egypt, as it led to discord in all section of society.
The witness was from among them this time!
