5 - 11 July 2001
Issue No.541
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 5 - 11 July 2001 Issue No.541 |
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In the gutter, looking at the stars
Scandal and sensation: Medhat El-Zahed wonders just who is interested
On 17 June, the tabloid press almost set Egypt ablaze when the front page of the independent weekly Al-Nabaa came out with the following banner headlines:
"The full file on the first scandal of its kind stuns Egypt! Complete with documents and pictures!"
"Senior monk turns Deir Al-Muharraq monastery in Assiut into whorehouse!"
"Miracle monk has sex with 5,000 women in the sacristy of the church!"
Other sensationalist headlines and captions filled the rest of the front page and the entire space on the second and third pages of the newspaper, along with lurid pictures ostensibly showing the naked monk engaged in intercourse. The pictures, the newspaper claimed, were taken in the sacristy -- clearly an impossibility because the Church had excommunicated the said monk in 1996.
Amazingly, the publisher of these flagrant and incendiary lies asserted that his intent was to protect the reputation of the Coptic Church and the virtues taught by Jesus Christ. The line of defence leaves one all the more dumbstruck in view of the subject matter that this self-styled defender of public morals takes as his grist. Sex scandals fill the newspaper from front to back, including the sports page. Nor is the newspaper's obsession restricted to the disastrous edition in question; it extends back over the 622 past issues, in which the self-acclaimed arbiters of virtue scrupulously adhere to all the traditions of the yellow press.
In numerous reports issued by the Supreme Press Council, this particular tabloid has the distinction of ranking first in the nation for breaching every code of professional ethics, from mudslinging and reporting unsubstantiated information to blackmailing businessmen, publishing obscene photographs and vulgar advertising.
There is a vast difference between scandalmongering and playing with fire, however; and the most infamous issue of Al-Nabaa did the latter. Its decision to publish this material raises a number of questions, especially because it was the first privately owned independent newspaper to have obtained a permit from the Supreme Press Council and to operate under the companies law, while far more respectable newspapers applying to operate under the same conditions continue to encounter mountains of obstacles. The editor-in-chief of this rag, furthermore, has intimated that he enjoys the support of official agencies.
We must ask, first of all, how a copy of the video tape of the defrocked monk's sexual encounter, which he surreptitiously filmed in his apartment in Al-Wayli (not in the church) in order to blackmail his partner, ended up in the hands of Al-Nabaa. Second, why did the writers go to the lengths of concocting an elaborate lie about the video having been shot in the sacristy, and how did the publisher dare print that trash, then lead some to suspect that the government somehow condoned this criminal fabrication?
It is impossible to answer these questions without addressing the phenomenon of the gutter press that has flourished in Egypt in recent years. The soaring sales of these newspapers, the values they cater to and disseminate, must be subjected to scrutiny, because, whether licensed in Egypt or abroad, these are the papers that are thriving at the expense of serious journalism, accurate reporting, the right of readers to access properly substantiated views and correct information on a full range of social, political, economic and cultural issues, and everything related to the creative spirit.
While the owners of these papers line their pockets by pandering to people's baser instincts, however, they play it safe. You never will know the name of the movie star who uses sex aids to dispense with men, or the name of the little girl in Alexandria who lived in sin while her father looked on, or the name of the famous football player caught in the arms of the famous actress.
Not that Egypt, or the underdeveloped world for that matter, is a pioneer in the field of tabloid journalism. Indeed, the trailblazers are to be found in Europe and the US, where newspaper sales skyrocketed when featuring coverage of "Monica-gate" and Princess Di's love life. Nor should we forget that the highest price ever paid for a news photo -- far higher than any photojournalist could command after risking his life to cover a battlefront -- was paid to the photographer who captured Diana with Dodi.
The yellow press's incursions into the rest of the media under the pretext of free competition threatens to take freedom of information and opinion prisoner. Administrative measures are not the answer, though; for, while they might succeed in closing down a newspaper or two, they will not make the tabloids disappear. What we must do is to determine whether profitability should serve as our highest standard for intellectual, cultural and spiritual activity, and whether intellectual and artistic activity should be subject to market forces. These are the issues that should concern the government, the political parties, the Press Syndicate, the Writers' Union, publishers and the public at large. The Al-Nabaa crisis could happen again, because it was ultimately the product of a pervasive social and intellectual climate.
* The writer is a journalist with Al-Ahali newspaper.
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