 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 26 Aug. - 1 Sep. 1999 Issue No. 444
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The state of the profession
By Shaden Shehab
A report compiled by the Supreme Press Council, evaluating the press in the period between January and May, reached the conclusion that all the various categories of the domestic press had committed professional violations. The largest percentage of violations were related to the publication of undocumented information and mixing advertising with news coverage.
Salama
Abdel-Khaleq
Bakri
According to the report, political party newspapers top the list of offenders, accounting for 39.5 per cent of all violations. National daily newspapers were responsible for 20 per cent of all violations, national weekly newspapers and magazines 16 per cent, independent newspapers 14.3 per cent, foreign-language newspapers 9 per cent and provincial newspapers 1.2 per cent.
The list of violations monitored by the report were: undocumented information, showing no respect for public mores, violating the ethics of advertising, inaccuracy, showing no respect for private lives, violating the ethics of reporting on crime and propagating superstitions.
The report evaluated five dailies -- Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar, Al-Gomhouria, Al-Messa and Al-Ahram Al-Mesai; 18 national weekly newspapers and magazines -- Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, Al-Ahram El-Riyadi, Al-Ahram El-Iqtisadi, Al-Shabab, Nisf Al-Donia, Akhbar Al-Youm, Akhbar Al-Adab, Akhbar Al-Riyada, Akhbar Al-Hawadeth, Akher Saa, Horreyati, Hawaa, Al-Kawakeb, October, Al-Mussawer, Sabah Al-Kheir, Rose-el-Youssef and Aqidati; 23 party newspapers -- Al-Wafd, Al-Shaab, Al-Ahali, Al-Arabi, Al-Ahrar, Al-Umma, Hadith Al-Madina, Al-Madina El-Horra, Al-Mowagaha, Afaq Arabia, Wafd Al-Delta, Mayo, Sawt Port Said, Al-Haqiqa, Al-Wafdi, Al-Takaful, Wafd Al-Delta, Al-Bahraweya, Akhbar Al-Saeed, Alam Al-Dimoqratia, Al-Nil and Port Said Al-Watania; six independent newspapers -- Al-Nabaa, Al-Esbou, Sawt Al-Umma, Al-Midan, Al-Malaeb Al-Riyadia and Al-Zaman; seven provincial newspapers -- Al-Giza, Al-Nas, Al-Qanah, Sawt Qena, Sawt Al-Menia, Al-Beheira and Akhbar Al-Gharbia; and four foreign-language newspapers -- Al-Ahram Weekly, Egyptian Gazette, Al-Ahram Hebdo and Le Progres Egyptien.
Among all the publications covered by the report, Al-Ahram Weekly was found to have committed no violations of any sort, whether related to impartiality, observing accepted journalistic standards or adhering to the press code of ethics. "This reflects the newspaper's strict commitment to accepted and objective journalistic standards," the report said. It described the Weekly as "a model of commitment to journalistic ethics, which is proven month after month."
Salama Ahmed Salama, prominent writer and managing editor of Al-Ahram, said that "Al-Ahram Weekly has respect for its readers and is aware that its targeted audience is intelligent and fully knowledgeable of what is going on in the world." According to Salama, the Weekly "does not publish sensational articles and does not pass advertisements as news in order to sell more. It indeed suffered, at the beginning, of a shortage of advertisements but, after gaining the trust of its readers, advertisements came," Salama said. "This should be a lesson for other publications."
The largest per cent of violations committed by all publications, except foreign language newspapers, was related to the publication of undocumented information.
Party newspapers were the prime violators, with independent newspapers coming second, followed by national newspapers and national weekly newspapers and magazines.
The report attributed the reason to the large number of regular pages or sections which run undocumented stories or news as inside information or gossip to attract a wider audience.
The report said that "undocumented stories are inexcusable. The excuses offered, such the unavailability of information or the fear that publishing the names of public officials or sources might penalise them or that the sources will refrain from providing information, are unacceptable." The report added that "such excuses do not offer valid reasons for such a phenomenon because the sheer frequency of such undocumented articles indicates that it has become a negative form of journalism."
"Journalists can always gain access to documents and obtain accurate information that concern different personalities and sometimes condemn their conduct," the report said.
"If the available documents or information are inadequate, then the right choice would be not to publish the article. Such undocumented articles make the Egyptian press lose its credibility," the report said.
"The publication of undocumented articles is a tool used intentionally to attract readers and arouse their curiosity," the report added.
The party newspapers which committed the greatest percentage of violations in this category are Hadith Al-Madina, Al-Wafd, Al-Ahrar, Al-Haqiqa and Al-Shaab. The newspapers El-Nabaa and Al-Osbou were the independent newspapers which published the largest percentage of undocumented information. Al-Gomhouria topped the list of daily national newspapers and Horreyati topped that of national magazines and newspapers.
Said Abdel-Khaleq, co-editor of Al-Wafd newspaper, mouthpiece of the Wafd Party, commented: "We sometimes publish undocumented information because, in many instances, it is very difficult for opposition newspapers to have access to information. We are treated like a disease by some high officials or sources. But that does not mean we fabricate stories; we are not yellow newspapers. Sometimes news or documents are leaked to us and we cannot identify the source."
Other than the undocumented information charge, a great percentage of violations made by national newspapers and weekly national newspapers and magazines were related to mixing advertisements with news coverage. This was also behind nearly all violations committed by foreign-language newspapers.
Independent newspapers were blamed for a great percentage of violations of public mores and inaccuracy.
Mustafa Bakri, chief editor of the independent Al-Osbou weekly newspaper, said that gossip articles or "undocumented information is not our invention. We sometimes have news of which we are sure, but we do not have enough documents; so, we publish to tell the responsible person that we are aware of your actions."
Bakri said that "we do not fabricate news and there are public figures whom we cannot name for fear of harming public interest or security."
Salama said that "it is true that opposition newspapers have difficulty in gathering information, but this is still not a valid excuse."
He said that "all of the violations monitored by the report were a result of profit-seeking by the publications."
He explained that "newspapers run undocumented stories and sensational articles and resort to inaccuracy and exaggeration to sell more. Other publications mix advertising with news for the same purpose -- to make a greater profit."
