21 - 27 June 2001
Issue No.539
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 June 2001 Issue No.539 |
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Tabloid outrage
Egyptian society, on both public and official levels, moved immediately to contain the crisis that erupted after Al-Nabaa, a newspaper better known for its sensationalism, published stills from a videotape that an excommunicated priest has allegedly been using to blackmail his victims.Newspapers like Al-Nabaa exist everywhere, but they usually obey the law and do not cite freedom of expression as an excuse to publish this sort of material. The inaccurate claims the newspaper made in an unethical bid to increase its circulation and profits brought angry young Christians to the Orthodox Coptic Cathedral in Abbasiya, where they gathered to protest. Pope Shenouda, whose reputation of wisdom and deep understanding of Egyptian society is well deserved, appealed for calm, and asked the young people to respect the rule of law.
Shortly after the newspaper came out on Sunday, the editor was summoned for questioning by the public prosecutor and charged with undermining public security and social peace, publishing scandalous pictures and revealing information about a case under investigation -- all violations of the law. The Press Syndicate board held an emergency meeting and has suspended the editor's membership, with an option to expel him permanently. Members of the syndicate board also paid a visit to Pope Shenouda to stress that journalists oppose the newspaper's irresponsible behaviour. The Coptic Church, the Supreme Press Council, the Bar Association and several other groups have already announced that they will sue the newspaper for libel. These developments, in addition to the statements Al-Azhar and the grand mufti's office issued, should leave no room for doubt: the vast majority of Egyptians, Muslims and Copts alike, are outraged.
Now that calm has been restored, it is the responsibility of journalists to strengthen their syndicate and reaffirm the code of press ethics by which all newspapers must abide. Al-Nabaa's decision to publish such scandalous material cannot be defended as a case of freedom of expression. It is a violation of press ethics in any democratic country.
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