Egypt Independentis an online newspaper that formerly published a weekly 24-page English-language edition of the Egyptian newspaper,Al-Masry Al-Youm.
| Format | Daily, online |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Al-Masry Media Corporation |
| Editor | Heba Helmy |
| Founded | November 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Cairo |
| Country | Egypt |
| Website | EgyptIndependent.com |
History
editOn 24 November 2011, the first print edition ofEgypt Independentwas published.[1]It had evolved from the English edition ofAl-Masry Al-Youm,which was previously published as a weekly supplement to the newspaper.[2]
After being banned to publish their second edition by the editor in chief ofAl-Masry Al-Youm,[3]Egypt Independentacquired its own license and resumed publishing its weekly edition separate fromAl-Masry Al-Youmin 2012.[4]
In April 2013, the management of Al-Masry Media Corporation informed theEgypt Independenteditorial team that the print news operation was being shut down,[5]though the website continues to publish new stories, daily.
In June 2013, some former employees ofEgypt Independentincluding Managing EditorLina Attalahbegan publishingMada Masr.[6]
Accusations of internal censorship
editOn 1 December 2011, the chief editor ofAl-Masry Al-Youmobjected to and ultimately censored a print issue ofEgypt Independent.[7]
The second issue ofEgypt Independentwas to carry an opinion piece[8]by Robert Springborg, a political scientist and expert on Egyptian civil-military relations, that was critical of theSupreme Council of the Armed Forcesthat had ruled Egypt since the February 2011 departure of former presidentHousni Mubarak.Springborg and theEgypt Independentstaff collaborated to alter the offending sections in the opinion piece, however the second issue of the supplement was nevertheless prevented from being published. Professor Springborg was himself accused of being a "conspirator against Egypt's stability" in the 7 December 2011 Arabic-language edition ofAl-Masry Al-Youm.[3]
The self-censorship episode prompted the staff ofEgypt Independentto write that "even after 25 January, self-censorship still plagues Egyptian media. As an Egyptian newspaper, we, too, suffer from it. But if self-censorship becomes internalized and goes unquestioned, it becomes an irreversible practice. We refuse to let this happen."[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Time for something new".Egypt Independent.24 November 2011.Retrieved9 August2013.
- ^Jenne Krajeski (30 April 2013)."The death of Egypt Independent".The New Yorker.Retrieved14 September2013.
- ^abc"Time for an independent conversation".Egypt Independent.7 December 2013.Retrieved9 August2013.
- ^"Final Issue: How poor management destroyed a leading voice".Egypt Independent.25 April 2013.Retrieved9 August2013.
- ^"Egypt Independent 2009-2013".Egypt Independent.25 April 2013.Retrieved9 August2013.
- ^"And we're back..."Mada Masr.30 June 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 3 August 2013.Retrieved15 July2013.
- ^"Egypt: self-censorship and the military hinder press freedom".Index on Censorship.Retrieved9 August2013.
- ^"Is Tantawi reading the public's pulse correctly?".Egypt Independent.6 December 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2016.Retrieved8 August2013.
