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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 September 1999 Issue No. 446
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Books Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Caught in the web
By Ibrahim Nafie
The late 20th century has been characterised by the on-going revolution in information technology. And throughout the last two decades the Egyptian media has been striving to keep abreast of such developments. In so doing it has succeeded in maintaining its regional role as a pioneer of social and economic development and has sought to enhance cultural and intellectual awareness in Egypt and the Arab world.
For 20 years the Egyptian media has been successfully taking advantage of global technological developments in order to meet the growing need for news and information and, simultaneously, to counter the inundation of opinions and attitudes disseminated by foreign-based media. Form, content and efficiency have all been improved in printed, visual and audio media, particularly with the introduction of computer technology.
The newspaper industry, in particular, has made impressive progress. The technological revolution has had a profound impact on printing and photo composition, enabling an unprecedented increase in the quantity and diversity of publications. At the same time, the Egyptian press has benefited from considerably broader freedoms than ever before.
In order to capitalise on these developments, it is now essential to further facilitate the right to publish. Easing the legislative and bureaucratic restrictions on the issuing of licences to publish newspapers will also counter what has become known as the "Cyprus phenomenon", referring to the practice of obtaining foreign licences to produce and distribute Egyptian newspapers in Egypt. It is also essential to find ways to help newspapers, and even some of the major publishing houses, overcome the permanent spectre of financial problems. Regretfully, this issue has been on the table for many years now. The government has issued numerous recommendations to address it, but none have been implemented. There is also a great need to revamp the salary structure for journalists so as to furnish the essential material security to enable them to pursue their careers with optimal objectivity.
The television and radio industries have hardly lagged behind in the race to improve productivity and diversity. TV channels one and two have been joined by six local governorate channels and three satellite channels. In addition, Egyptian radio and television have embarked vigorously into specialised broadcasts. Now, there is a proliferation of sports, drama, music, general family and children's channels catering to diverse interests, not to mention six educational channels offering programmes geared towards students from elementary to university levels, as well as more general educational channels featuring science and health programmes. In addition, next year will see the launch of NILE SAT 102 as well as the completion of the Media City, destined to become the largest media production centre in the Middle East with a capacity to broadcast in 34 languages.
In spite of these achievements enormous challenges remain, the most formidable being the globalisation of the media. The Egyptian media, indeed Third World media in general, is fighting an uphill battle against the domination of the West. Even if they manage to make some inroads against the inundation of Western-based news agencies, satellite channels, newspapers, magazines and the Internet, such inroads are quickly stifled. At the same time the Western media uses an arsenal of justifications to maintain its hegemony and penetrate the nations of the developing world, the most frequent being "freedom of the flow of information".
If, during the Cold War, the socialist camp managed to check the extending tentacles of the Western media, the end of the Cold War has ensured that control over global media has fallen into just a few hands. These countries happen to be the former and present colonial nations, specifically Great Britain, France and the US, whose Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Press, CNN and World Wide Web have secured their grip over the international flow of information.
Western hegemony over the media poses a grave threat to the cultures and identities of other nations. The permeation of news and information from Western-based sources also has serious political and economic ramifications. With so many means at their disposal, the Western media has considerable power to shape public opinion and market Western values and lifestyles. The potential they have to lure peoples of the developing nations into supporting superpower political and economic policies, particularly in times of international stress and conflict, cannot be underestimated. The ability of Western countries and transnational corporations to inculcate Western forms of consumerism also poses a risk to national economic development programmes.
Because of the language barrier and the limited purchasing power of most Egyptian people, the impact of Western media, with both its positive and negative aspects, has been limited. This situation is certain not to last. However, the answer is not to shut ourselves off to the influx of foreign media. Rather, what we must do is to continue developing the Egyptian media the better to empower it to offset foreign influences. This alternative will enable Egyptian and Arab recipients to continue to benefit from the best that the Western media has to offer while minimising its detrimental effects.
Another task before the Egyptian media is to adopt a more proactive policy internationally. By enhancing our competitive edge in the global media market we will be better poised to present to international public opinion Egyptian and Arab views on vital issues.
One step towards this goal is to expand the services of Egyptian press offices abroad. This task requires highly trained media specialists whose appointment to offices abroad must be based on performance.
Finally, it is imperative for us to define a unified Arab media policy. Inter Arab cooperation stems naturally from common causes and interests, not to mention a common culture and language. But it is also a fact that no Arab nation is alone capable of furnishing the finance, technology and human resources necessary to built a media edifice powerful and efficient enough to offer the media services capable of countering the West's domination of the global media.
