Egypt protests. Photo: Ahmad Hammoud

The fall of President Mubarak in Egypt, has sparked a 180 degree turnaround by the former pro-government state media, according to IMS’ Michael Irving Jensen in Cairo

Media have played a prominent role in the events in both Egypt and Tunisia over the last month where the space for expression has constituted a key battlefield between the regimes and the people on the streets. With the fall of President Mubarak after 30 years of autonomous rule, Egypt is set to embark on a reform of the media sector which could lead the way to democracy.

Marked change in state media

To assess the situation and needs of Egyptian media in this crucial transition phase, IMS’ Programme Coordinator Michael Irving Jensen travelled to Cairo this week to meet with IMS’ longstanding Egyptian partners in media and other international organisations working to support media in Egypt.

- The transition phase in Egypt now is in its very early stages, with celebrations in the streets still on-going. But signs of change within the media following the ousting of President Mubarak are already apparent, says Michael Irving Jensen over the phone from Cairo.

- A marked change has already taken place within the former, extremely pro-government state media in Egypt. These media have turned 180 degrees in their coverage, with  journalists having taken matters in their own hands and ousting their editors, as in the case of the Rose Alyousef publishing house.

While the tightly controlled state media damned the demonstrators in the first few days of the protests, subsequent reports spoke of  a steady stream of media professionals – presenters, producers, writers, columnists, commentators and technicians – walking out of their jobs in state media to protest.

According to the newspaper Al Masryalyoum, Egyptian journalists have now called for a withdrawal of the president of the Egyptian Journalist Syndicate, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, in favour of someone more independent, after signatures of 250 members of the syndicate’s general assembly were gathered.

Stabilising media

According to Michael Irving Jensen, the focus of media in Egypt now is very much on stabilising the situation. New mechanisms for granting media licenses have to be established and other key areas left in a void filled, since the change of government. Importantly, the financial sustainability of media institutions, highly dependent on advertisements to cover their running costs, must be addressed. If the Egyptian economy in a worst case scenario were to collapse, investments would disappear and the commercial foundation on which the media exist would follow. 

Independent media are another expected key player in the build-up of a more democratic media environment in Egypt. A private and partly independent press has been in existence over the past 5-6 years represented by, for example, Al-Masry al-Youm and Youm7.

IMS in Egypt and the Arab world

IMS has over the past years worked with partners in Egypt and in the Middle East and North African region since 2004. IMS draws on strongly developed links with national and international media organisations to ensure that coordination takes place in extraordinary and sudden transition periods, while securing a concerted effort to make things happen.

IMS has also carried out Twinning of media professionals in Egypt,  partnering professionals from the Nordic countries and the Arab world for both parties to gain new insight and knowledge.

IMS has also supported Egyptian journalists through the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism network.

IMS has monitored media's coverage of a number of elections in the Arab world during the past seven years as part of the Arab Working Group (AWG). The AWG is a professional network initiated in 2004 during the first year of the IMS regional media cooperation programme.