 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 27 April - 3 May 2000 Issue No. 479
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Stand up and be counted
By Fatemah Farag
The advent of a new paper on the market is an exciting event; when the paper is the resurrection of a prestigious cultural magazine, has recruited Salah Eissa as its new editor-in-chief, includes regular columnists who range from Safynaz Kazem to Mahmoud El-Saadani and Fahmi Howeidy and is published by the Ministry of Culture, then a momentous event must be in the making.
Yet the initial reception of the first two issues of the reborn Al-Qahira was varied and raised many questions. First there was the exclamation: 'But it's pink!' And pink it was; that particular salmon hue which is usually reserved for financial newspapers. Then a sigh of relief; only the first 2,000 copies of the weekly's 50,000 copies turned out to have been stained by the colour, the rest having been printed on standard white. But, finally, the mix of sensationalism, religion, politics and culture of sorts struck a discordant note.
Running confessions of the actress Youssra declaring that she is not a porn actress as top headline material side by side with issues of culture and politics is not new to the market. In fact, sensationalist stories accounted for the high circulation of some publications.
Hence, it was no surprise when commentary focused on the similarity between this new 28-page weekly, published by the Ministry of Culture with prominent journalist Salah Eissa at the helm, and the ill-fated Al-Dustour, an independent weekly newspaper that was shut down. There was also discussion on the question of whether it was or was not inevitable for the newspaper to be a mouthpiece of the ministry that publishes it. Moreover, some were disappointed with the content, dismissing parts of the paper as sensational, superfluous or simply outdated.
"When you say that one newspaper is similar to another, then you are referring to conceptualisation and the published ideas. I challenge anyone to prove that we are a mimic of another newspaper. We are not like Al-Dustour, and we do not have a crime page," Eissa argued. "Our layout, however, may be similar to the layout of some newspapers," he conceded.
Other prominent journalists not only noted the resemblance between Al-Qahira and Al-Dustour, but viewed this positively. "There is no doubt that it [Al-Qahira] took on the same make-up of Al-Dustour," commented Salama Ahmed Salama, renowned Al-Ahram columnist. "I do not think that this is a bad thing; after all, Al-Dustour no longer publishes."
But Salama took issue with Al-Qahira at another level. "I think that professionally, the first issue of the newspaper was positive, but I had expected that this new newspaper would enter the arena differently. For example, their main headline was about the circumstances of the death of [Field Marshal] Abdel-Hakim Amer. Who cares any more? This is a subject which is not only old but has been discussed and rehashed many times before."
On the question of how Al-Qahira differs from other publications Eissa said, "[It is] the first cultural newspaper that addresses the general reader; it gathers cultural material that cannot be found in any other publication and it is a liberal newspaper that brings together viewpoints from across the political spectrum."
Having said that, sensationalist garb seems to be a conceivable framework, but the consequences can sometimes be dire. For example, the movement against normalisation of relations with Israel is an issue the paper intended to address. So, unsurprisingly, the first issue carried a story on its front page about an exhibition of works by an Israeli photographer being held in Cairo. But the article included incorrect information. When asked about this, Eissa exclaimed, "Everyone can make mistakes!" He added, "We obtained our information from The Jerusalem Post since the exhibitors in Cairo [the Sony Gallery at the American University in Cairo] refused to answer our questions."
In general, however, while the magazine's editorial blend is seen by some as a necessity to draw readers, it is viewed by others as simply offensive. In its second issue, gracing Al-Qahira's front page were a series of headlines which included: '[Hassanein] Heikal... Did he try to assassinate King Hussein in Paris?" and "Critics in Egypt suffer from sexual repression." The question was asked: do people really need to be titillated in this way to make them read?
Al-Qahira's "liberalism" and Eissa's contention that the newspaper is independent of the ministry that publishes it are probably the most widely debated issues. "To those who claim that we are a mouthpiece of the ministry, I say, let us wait for future issues and see. Of course, our purpose is not to oppose the ministry. However, subjects over which the ministry is at odds with others will be debated in the newspaper, and all points of view will be presented," Eissa heatedly maintained. It is worth noting that a headline in the second issue was: "In answer to Farouk Hosni: No, there is a cultural invasion, Mr Minister."
However, others are of a different opinion. One is Salama, who states: "I am against any government body publishing a newspaper, and that is in principle. The owner of the capital ultimately controls the newspaper. I know that those managing the new Al-Qahira, headed by Salah Eissa, have been strongly committed to the freedom of the press. However, I argue that the mechanism developed in such a situation is not positive. Besides, it is against the progress of society, in general, and the developments that have been taking place in the economic and political spheres."
Salama summed up, "We expect its pages to take on more of their own personality and for the newspaper to publish more current events. It needs to develop personality."
