Egypt Government and Media Profile

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Egypt Government Bias

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Government

Government Type: Semi Presidental System
Head of State: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi  
Political Party: Independent
Political Position: Nationalism

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Press Freedom

World Press Freedom Rank: Egypt 168/180

According to Reporters Without Borders, In 2013, Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi took power with a military coup, and ever since, press freedom has continued to deteriorate. Sisi’s regime jailed journalists without being charged or tried; also, Reporters Without Borders ranked Egypt as “one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.” After each successive Egyptian regime change, the new government used the media to spread the regime’s narrative.

Media Ownership and Government Analysis

Government-owned media dominates the media landscape in Egypt. The state is a major media force and controls most of Egypt’s media through the intelligence agency (named the Egyptian Media Group, controlled by the secret service), which oversees the National Media Authority and the National Press Authority, appointing the boards of directors. The Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) is a state broadcast media company controlled by the government. There are eight state-owned broadcast channels in Egypt; two are central, and six are regional.

Newspapers are typically government mouthpieces, and political affiliations or ownership information are not easily accessible by the public. When it comes to print media, the Top 4 companies are: Al Ahram, Al-Akhbar, Dar Al-Tahrir, and the private AlMasry Establishment have a monopoly over print media. The government runs a local news agency, called the  Middle East News Agency (MENA). According to Reuters, in 2016, a New Egyptian law was passed that established a media regulator picked by the president.

In summary, the Egyptian media landscape is comprised predominantly of state and privately-owned news sources. However, the government controls the media directly and indirectly since it owns and regulates most radio and TV stations. Therefore, the media of Egypt faces a lack of press freedom and censorship at the hands of the government and intelligence services.

Last Updated on May 7, 2022 by Media Bias Fact Check

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