Journalists Syndicate lambasts new Chamber of Private Press

The Journalists Syndicate came out swinging on Monday against the new Chamber of Private Press Industries, decrying it as a “suspicious and worrying attempt” to dominate national media.

In a harshly worded statement against the organization, which was formally announced on Saturday, the syndicate warned that the chamber threatened the freedom of the press and was also poised to monopolize the media landscape.

The chamber was involving journalists in matters such as ownership and commercial issues that only concern the owners of press outlets, not reporters themselves, the statement continued.

On Saturday, the owners of seven private newspapers convened to establish the chamber with the purported intention to investigate problems facing privately owned newspapers, such as printing, distribution and commercial advertising.

But the law prohibits journalists from owning or having stakes in newspapers, the syndicate pointed out.

“This is a malicious attempt that cannot be ignored to divide journalists and discriminate between them … classifying them as journalists working for private, national or party newspapers,” the statement declared.

The chamber thus overlooks journalists’ right to an independent syndicate, which has long struggled for a free media independent of any authority, the Journalists Syndicate continued.

“The syndicate has always fought battles in defense of the profession, and for press freedom and freedom in general, and will not allow this new reckless and arrogant attack on the Egyptian media and for them to achieve their malicious goals,” the statement asserted.

The syndicate also warned government figures against their “silence,” which it says “borders on collusion with businessmen whose sudden interest [in the media] raises many questions.”

Salah Eissa, a veteran journalist and former syndicate member, told Mada Masr that he is not against the formation of the chamber, but maintained that its membership should consist of newspaper owners and not journalists.

Bringing together owners with their employees in this way constitutes a conflict of interest, he said.

However, Eissa was more interested in a newly formed committee of 50 people representing the broader journalistic community that would translate articles pertaining to press freedoms from the 2014 Constitution into legislation.

These articles had not been included in any previous version of the Constitution, Eissa said, and pertain to issues such as publishing crimes, halting the publication of newspapers and the independence of the press.

“All these articles need to be translated into laws to regulate freedom of the press,” he asserted.

The committee began meeting on Monday, Eissa said, and will start working on draft laws to be issued either by the president or the Parliament, once it is elected.