READER COMMENTS

Please add some statements and reports about the role of the media in spreading extremism and fanaticism because I'm studying about this topic. Would you please notify me when you do this? Thank you.

The media has a considerable impact on the lives of the viewers, which is why it is their duty to spread the spirit of patriotism and promote it, and encourage people to come together and have a sense of brotherhood in light of what is taking place in Egypt and the crises that it is going through. The media channels have to focus on all the aspects that promote stability and raise awareness, which is something these programs must do, as it is the role of the media to truthfully communicate news and verify the sources, and it should make sure to cover both sides of a debate in the panel discussion programs so that the message is clear to the Egyptian viewers. It is necessary to find out who are against this and why is it that they think in this way, and how they are able to deceive the youths so as to avoid their deception again or prevent them from deceiving other youths. It is necessary to confront and foil all the activities that aim to create dissension and the fatwas of certain individuals by means of relevant programs and having talks with qualified clerics in order to uncover the reality of these fake and false fatwas issued by those that exploit these programs for their selfish interests. The attention of the media should be directed on what is going on in Egypt as this will have a great impact on eradicating some of the erroneous and uninformed ideologies and thoughts. These programs are required to have credibility in delivering information to the Egyptian people in order to help them in understanding what is going on in Egypt and working on finding solutions and not spreading chaos and fanaticism among people, and engaging in attacking others or fighting certain individuals. It is also a necessity that these programs rely on facts and evidence. We need such programs to be presented to the public as they would analyze things and communicate this to all without exception particularly to those that want to know what is going on around them and who is causing all of this, so that the truth will become clear to us.

Since before the January 25th revolution and the change of government that ensued, the government had a system whereby it had control over public broadcasting and freedom of expression was very limited; one had to either please the former regime or face imprisonment. But after the revolution, we have noticed a massive increase in the number of Egyptian satellite TV channels, and an increase in the number of panel discussion programs on many channels, to the point that one cannot watch a panel discussion program in its entirety because there are so many of them as well as many hosts, and these hosts in Egypt fall into different categories in the eyes of the Egyptian public. Some of them are labeled as ‘fulool’, i.e. those that were supporters of the former government that was forced to resign, and there are those that are counted as part of the Egyptian revolution for having successfully attempted to report on what was going on in the Tahrir Square so that the world would have a clear picture of what was going on regarding the fact that the Egyptian revolution was a peaceful one, and that it was necessary to meet its legitimate revolutionary demands. This is what the viewers are receptive to, and these are the most-watched channels. Also, there are those that are described as Ikhwani (Muslim Brotherhood) and all those belonging to the new government headed by Dr. Mohammed Morsi. This category was completely nonexistent before the revolution, due to what the former regime used to do to the Muslim Brotherhood groups in the past in Egypt in terms of repression and imprisonment and arrestment. This category tends to support all the decisions of the Egyptian president. However, with the growing number of these programs, and with the emergence of various trends, we see that the effects of this will be most dangerous to the Egyptian public due to the existence of many groupings and factions that engage in incitement. This is why it is necessary to monitor these programs, and the Egyptian government should work hard in order to preserve the legitimacy of the Egyptian media and the legitimacy and rights of these programs on the condition that they do not engage in inciting people, because this is the worst form of dissension that could result in a lot of trouble for Egypt.

There are two types of privately-owned TV channels: the first type is owned by businessmen that do not have any political agendas, and these channels operate in a haphazard way without any vision or even a clear methodology. Rather, they work for a single objective, which is to make a profit, regardless of the content that they air, and this leads to the programs being inconsistent with contradicting views, and consequently, this causes the viewers to become depressed and disorientated in their thinking. The only media that are working with a unified perspective and which are conveying information to the public are those broadcasting from abroad such as Al-Jazeera, Russia Today, Al-Hurra and others. These days, the media outlets are operating in a haphazard manner as the scope of freedom has expanded in an exaggerated manner, and this is a good thing, but some people have used it in the wrong way, and also the lack of vision has led to the uncontrolled expansion of satellite TV even more. The greater freedom and its abuse could allow some individuals to manipulate the internal situation in Egypt, and we mean by this any institution or agency that has dubious aims and which wants to perpetuate the turmoil in Egypt and the instability, and all these negative things could lead to the emergence of a media coverage that contributes in exacerbating tensions and divisions that in the end lead to infighting and disputes and dissension among the various sectarian groups in the country. Very unfortunately, all this haphazardness leads to the deterioration of the economic and security situation, and it is counter to all the efforts for building the country.

Some viewers say that the revolution has not reached the media yet as the latter has an infrastructure based on terrorizing freedom of the press, and there are many penalties in Egypt that allow for imprisonment in certain cases relating to publication of materials, and there are laws in our country that allow free exchange of information. As such, it is necessary to re-formulate the laws relating to publishing, starting with an unambiguous law guaranteeing the freedom for exchanging information, and another one to prevent monopolies in radio and TV in order to open the door to real initiatives towards a non-obscurantist media based on transparency. Also, it is necessary for the business people to disassociate themselves from the media by means of opening up new satellite TV channels for them to express their personal views. The former regime repressed all the freedoms as it appointed the editors, and the government intelligence agencies would determine what personalities could appear on these programs. The year 2010 saw many media people and journalists being prosecuted and the seizure of certain newspapers. What is happening currently is that the media is devoid of a thinking mind, and there is a lack of vision, as all the media, represented by the national newspapers or the Egyptian TV, have turned into an extremist voice, after they had been previously competing with each other in support of the ruling regime and the security agencies, and now they are taking extremist stances and criticizing everything that is remotely or closely connected to the governmental agencies. The most critical period now is that we are transitioning from a state of being servile to the regime to a state of betrayal of the revolutionaries and the revolution.

There is a sense of indignation regarding the performance of the visual media in general after the glorious Jan 25th revolution, as the ordinary citizens see that the Egyptian TV was always supporting the Egyptian government and approving the actions of its members, while the privately-owned media was always antagonistic towards the government, and in some instances against the revolution. And the vast majority of the Egyptian public is still distrustful of the government satellite and terrestrial TV stations, as they are unable to convince their audience and connect with them, especially as they are engaged in analyzing the positions of the government and applauding it. The government-owned TV should implement scientific solutions in order to gain the attention of the Egyptian citizens and convince them of its ability to compete with the private media and provide the best panel discussion programs, and also news programs that are highly accurate and transparent, without taking sides. The strange thing is that there are many new channels that have opened up since the revolution, but in some instances these are below par, and some people suspect that they are being funded by business people loyal to the regime of Hosni Mubarak. This is why these channels have to work on promotion and marketing so that they can reach the largest number of viewers. On another note, a large number of people think that the Al-Jazeera channel was one of the most impartial channels, as it presents all the negative and positive views in all transparency, and the Egyptian citizens view it as being highly professional in its coverage of the events taking place in Egypt.

We know the importance of presenting talk show broadcasts on the Egyptian channels and their importance in knowing the situation in Egypt as well as abroad. They benefit many categories of people because not all the people know how to read or follow news online and, therefore, there these programs should be honest and broadcasting the facts for the interest of the citizens and not the interests of some people.

The talk shows broadcast on Egyptian television represent the most important programs, given the presented issues affecting the Egyptian society. They are talking about the problems of the society and what happens with regards to the problems and developments. No doubt, there is no Egyptian house whose occupant does not watch those channels and talk shows, and watch them daily. They even have favorite programs and a favorite anchor, and this program will serve as an eye and ear for the viewer. According to my point of view, I think that talk shows are very useful because it helps the viewer to know what is happening around him in his country and the world in general. It also gives him an opportunity to observe State officials and reveal inequities in the rights of people in the State. It also has an analytical criticism nature that monitors the events, follows them up, investigates them, and knows everything that happened in the event, whether it is a shortening of an official, governor or minister. This opens the way to form opinions about the officials of the State and their performance. It also works on educating individuals about the problems that face the Egyptian society and this entails the Egyptian people's sense of responsibility towards the nation. There are talk shows that aim first to educate the viewer about all events and monitor the event in all its details. These talk shows help to increase the income of the channel that broadcasts them and creates job opportunities for young program editors and camera operators, and so on. Also, talk shows provide an opportunity for the viewer to express his opinion on what is happening in the country through phone calls to those talk shows.

Talk shows, broadcasted on Egyptian television, have become intolerable and unseen by many because now there is no respect among the guests and each one of them wants to force his opinion on others. He does not want to listen to other opinions. Even if he heard him, he does not respect him. Both guests would be talking at the same time and the viewer does not know whom to listen to or who is right. The talk shows on Egyptian television became televised fights, not resembling any dialogue. Every guest wants to impose his opinion by force and the guest with the louder voice is more correct and deserves to be supported by the people. The broadcaster in talk shows is invisible as he lacks the ability to manage the guests.

What is the definition of the talk show? What must it provide? What are the characteristics of the talk show, which must be submitted to the viewer? Is this a new phenomenon to the Arab citizen in general and the Egyptian in particular? The Egyptian media witnessed a stream of talk shows that suddenly appeared, including positive and negative ones. However, what we are witnessing is inclined more to the negative. The talk show does not have to be following a certain policy or to be directed, but they should introduce things transparently because these programs have become at the heart of the Egyptian homes, and help to educate a new generation just as we see young rebels whose ideas are presented through this screen, so these programs must be monitored.

Talk shows have occupied a privileged position in these days in the Egyptian media arena as Egypt is now going through the overlapping and the interrelating events needed to be clarified to the Egyptian citizen by discussing the important issues that occur around him. The Cairo Today program is considered to be one of the most important Egyptian television programs, which resulted in the awareness of the Egyptian people and their dissatisfaction with their circumstances and living conditions. Moreover, it is the most important interactive talk show in the Arab world which occupies very large viewer rates, as it displays hot issues in society with full transparency and presents solutions through funny dialogue and discussion between the broadcaster and the guest. There is another type of show which allows the viewer to intervene in the dialogue through phone calls and through displaying his point of view, and may even file a complaint against any of the sectors of society that does not work properly like complaints regarding the contaminated drinking water and issues of administrative corruption. The important talk show programs on the air are the Amr Adib, the great media man, and the program of the 10th pm. by Mona Shazly where they not only host VIPs on the Egyptian and Arab scene, but also public figures as they expose corruption and the perpetrators, and provide papers and documents on air. On the other hand, we find that there are some satellite channels that provide talk shows in order to mislead the people and defend the goals of the owners of these channels, and this type of channels must be closed.

Talk shows, in general, vary and discuss a lot of political, economic, social, religious, scientific issues, and topics of informatics. Therefore, they are of great importance in enriching the spirit of debate and controversy in human life. The talk shows are an important reference that we can trust regarding some issues which arise in the community. Radio dialogue is a meeting based on mutual interaction between the broadcaster and the guest on a particular issue of interest to the viewers or listeners, according to radio standards. One of the objectives of talk shows is that they shed light on the issue and provide new perspectives on this issue. They also increase the knowledge about it through the exchange of views and ideas to reach solutions to resolve the problems resulting from this issue. The dialogue can be individual so as to discuss the matter with only one person and can be a bilateral dialogue with two people. There is a dialogue conducted with more than two people to put their respective opinions and these are called interactive seminars. Certainly, the talk shows have active roles and are perfect in educating the citizens and developing their thinking, giving them a great opportunity to keep up with the times in which they live by presenting the hot topics which take place in the community first hand, making them aware of the events and issues around them and enriching the culture they have. Therefore, the talk shows are more important than the press, which may provide us with fake news that may confuse our minds.

The talk shows varied in the Egyptian channels and recently we have seen an increase in the number of talk shows that discuss issues of public opinion from different and various points of view. The Egyptian citizens became eager to follow up those talk shows, moving between TV channels to know what is going on. We cannot deny that democracy which we live in recently, the freedom of expression requires that the Egyptian citizens become aware of what is occurring, and that there must be a space for freedom, expression, and also the media must be free. Those programs discuss not only political problems, but also other religious, economic and social problems. There are some programs that negatively affect Egyptian society because of the focus on negative topics.

The talk shows on Egyptian channels have become a dull repetition of the series of misleading exercised by the owners of those channels to protect their personal interests. Those programs has been able to create a state of instability, distrust and security among the various segments of the Egyptian people, even the intellectuals of them. What those programs have to offer of reports, meetings and calls can brainwash the entire nation. We have seen how these programs were able to divest themselves of their attacks on the revolution and the revolutionaries and suddenly become supporters after Mubarak stepped down. Moreover, at the same time, it put poison in the honey and until the people disadvantages and problems experienced after the revolution to obtain the curse upon the revolution and the revolutionaries. Allah protects Egypt from every traitor and aggressor.

The Egyptian satellite TV channels present panel discussion programs that discuss the issues affecting Egyptian society from different viewpoints by having guests on the show that have different ideological and cultural backgrounds. Some people could have an interest in these programs and they follow them, while others do not care about them and think that they are basically useless, and that they are simply for the benefit of the owners of these satellite channels through which they show their political persuasions. This is something that is most assuredly taking place, as most of the satellite TV channels are owned by individuals who are known to have political affiliations with certain parties or individuals, and as such they select the type of programs that are aired on their channels, and they have control over the programming on their channels. These programs could be exploited, especially if at first they were able to build a large viewer base, in order to influence the public if that public trusts what is being presented or the person presenting these programs, and usually the simple-minded audience is influenced by this, and they constitute most of the TV viewers, and also they are the ones that represent the majority of the Egyptian people whom vested interests see as easy prey that can be easily manipulated whenever they are convinced of something. This is one of the most important things that are being carried out by these programs today, and hence these programs have grown in numbers in many of the Egyptian satellite TV channels. This is why it is necessary to have strict oversight of these channels in many instances in order to follow the content that is being presented to the public because this could affect their thinking in a negative manner. One of these channels could use the influence of its programs on the viewers in order to prompt them to take the wrong direction or to make them think in a wrong way, especially in the current circumstances that Egypt is going through, so that these programs would be in the interest of the citizens and be beneficial to them rather than harmful.

Perhaps one of the most important developments that have appeared on the Egyptian satellite TV channels recently is what is called ‘panel discussion’ programs, which in my view are more harmful than beneficial, as they do not speak to all the various segments of the Egyptian society. Most of what goes on in these programs is fighting between the participants, and the viewers do not want to spend their time watching this type of discussion, especially in light of the circumstances that Egypt is going through. Most of the guests on these shows are very fanatical about their own views and they do not want to have any discussion or accept the other view, which leads to these fights breaking out, and this ends up most of the time with the subject under discussion being shut down or with one party suing the other, and this is what we hear about very often these days, as the freedom of expression that has become possible after the revolution has led to many people engaging in verbal abuse against others, many times reaching the point of swearing and cursing, and this causes the viewers to be turned off to these kinds of shows which are not worthwhile or which could be counter-productive to their original intent. In order for such programs to be improved, the moderator should be impartial from the start, because if the moderator takes sides, this is one of the main reasons that leads to these things taking place, and consequently, the program drifts away from its original objective. So, it is necessary to select both moderators and guests that are deserving of appearing in front of the viewers out of respect for them.

It is a good phenomenon and it shows that the Egyptian citizens are walking in the right way of awareness. But will the talk show programs will be alternatives to the newspapers? Are they stronger alternatives? Aside from that, the citizens may leave the newspapers and reading day after day, due to the media. But the talk show programs have become a tool of provocation day after day, to force the Egyptian family to open some channels to watch the exclusives. In the end, we discover that most of the news is rumors, and their aims are only to attract the citizen to specific channels, and the competition is now in the program which has the facts.

We cannot deny the great importance of the TV programs and discussions which are broadcast on the Egyptian channels these days. In fact, the entire public opinion is worried with the events and changes which are taking place in the Egyptian public opinion every minute. Indeed, the issue is not related to Egypt only but to the general conditions of all the other countries.

Visual media in Egypt are drawing the attention of Egyptian citizens through the programs which are discussing the contemporary issues and events of the Egyptian community which are speaking about the changes which are taking place every day in the internal Egyptian affairs and the neighboring countries. They also include the issues and news which occur in some Western countries.

The Egyptian media currently include some people who are worried about Egypt and its people. They are doing their best to spread awareness among people honestly. The Egyptian media also include some people who have fake consciences who are disseminating false ideas that could harm the Egyptian community through their discussions in the TV programs and talk shows which are broadcast on the Egyptian TV channels. Therefore, we have to punish all those who appear on these TVs to present discussions and programs that aim to spread chaos and manipulate citizens through false news and declarations about the events which are taking place in the Egyptian realm, taking advantage of the freedom which they have recently acquired in a very bad way.

The TV presenters of the political and social talk shows which are broadcast on the Egyptian channels must be accurate in a detailed way and present the facts without any confusion or adding to them some false talks and deceptive and false fabrications. The latter are used by some of them in order to distract public opinion and sow dissensions and conflicts in the Egyptian community without any evidence or proof.

In various Egyptian media, a lot of media men are using the freedom which they have obtained after the January twenty fifth revolution in a wrong and very bad way that harms all Egyptians and tarnishes the image of the Egyptian community, making it one of the ugliest and filthiest pictures. In fact, some of them are exploiting these freedoms to insult and humiliate the current regime and to broadcast a lot of rumors and false events in order to defame the ruling regime. Although this regime is not appreciated by all people, it has become a fait accompli which has been imposed on us and which we must accept. All media men should exploit this freedom appropriately and properly in order to improve the image of Egyptians and the Egyptian community in front of the other communities.

Egyptian television is currently witnessing a lot of reforms and changes now that it is presenting talk shows that discuss hot and important issues which are taking place in reality in and outside the country. During the former era, we only knew the information and issues which the regime wanted us to know. All media men were trapped in the restrictions of the authority which did not allow any one of them either to discuss any case or topic nor to talk frankly and explain all the details of the situation. Indeed, this aimed to prevent citizens from being aware of the events and changes which are taking place in their territories by the corrupt members of the regime, namely the acts of thefts, embezzlement and looting of public money which first and in the end returns to citizens and public ownership. Now after the political changes which have been brought by the Egyptian Revolution of the twenty fifth of last January, thank Allah, and after the overthrow of the former regime together with all its influence and power, we have now obtained our freedom from all the restrictions of repression and injustice which have been employed by the members of the former regime and were imposed on all Egyptians. Thus, the media have witnessed a wide range of freedom that enabled journalists to broadcast all the issues that concern citizens with much honesty, frankness and transparency without any fear or restriction. However, some journalists are using this freedom wrongly and all of them must be punished.

There is no doubt that the TV channels try to raise people’s awareness through spreading culture and knowledge among them. Besides, they have worked on providing the information and facts concerning the events taking place in the Arab and international societies. The Egyptian TV channels and programs played a big role during the January 25th Revolution and they provided a lot of news and issues. However, we cannot deny that in addition to the honest media that give true news we find many other that want to achieve fame and to attract viewers by all means. Thus, they have used false news and rumors that have nothing to do with truth. And they have used lies in order to attract the viewers and to inflame the public opinion. This can prolong the period of instability in the Egyptian internal affairs. However, we cannot also deny that there are many other honest media presenters who provide true news and facts without any lie, fraud or deceitfulness. These people deserve all the respect. Thus, it is important to rid the TV channels of the other people who must be far from media and from discussing the public topics and issues in any time or place.

The talk show programs that have been broadcast on the Egyptian TV channels have strongly affected Egyptian society. There is no doubt that these programs have changed the ideas of many people. In fact, they have worked on raising people’s awareness concerning many issues, events and important topics taking place in Egypt in the current time. This is in addition to the events taking place in the Arab societies and in the neighboring countries. Besides, they have covered the events of the Western countries. Thus, many Egyptians have become interested in these programs on a daily basis because they can know what happens around them locally and internationally. And they can know the changes taking place in and outside Egypt.

There are a lot of Egyptian TV channels that broadcast many talk show programs. These programs have presented public and hot subjects and issues that can be political, social, local or international. In fact, these issues deserve a special interest especially if the interlocutors are characterized by neutrality, honesty and sincerity. There are many persons who have used rumors and false news in order to attract the viewers. Thus they have deceived the viewers in order to achieve the largest audience rate among the TV channels. However, these TV channels cannot continue because lies will be discovered. Thus, the main target of the media must be searching for the truth in dealing with statements, news and issues that are presented in the TVs, radios, newspapers and magazines and they have discussed public issues that concern the Egyptian people. Thus, we call for ridding the Egyptian TV channels of all the liars and deceivers. And it is important to appoint honest and sincere people in these channels in order to ensure a purposeful, honest, transparent and impartial media.

The main role of the talk-shows must be the formation of the national consciousness through providing correct information with transparency and neutrality. It is also important to provide explanations and logical analyses that must be easy and far from the personal interests. This is in order to help the viewer to adopt a proper point of view. This is also in order to improve the intellectual level of the Egyptian citizens who must meet the intellectual level of the developed countries’ citizens.

Nowadays, talk shows in Egypt are considered among the most important programs broadcast on TVs because the Egyptian people are keen on watching them. Therefore, they should provide political information in a clear way. We also ask that talks in programs be built on respect and people should not wrong others.

The Egyptian talk shows are funny and interesting programs which attract the audience. They convey the true picture of the Egyptian people. It is a kind of social networking between the people and the Egyptian Government. Every Egyptian family watches these programs. However, things would be different if these programs aimed to manipulate society and disguise the truth. This will have a negative impact. Thus, talk shows will be more harmful, especially if these programs are politicized. That is to say, they follow certain political and government directions and thus they overlook the democratic process which should be followed in Egypt, especially after the January Revolution. Indeed, not all talk shows are harmful and not all of them are beneficial. We think that the objective behind these programs is conveying the truth and guiding the Egyptian people in the right way. However, after the launching of many TV channels and the many investments made in this field, things have gone out of control. What we expect from those who prepare these programs, the TV hosts and the guest is that they fear God and they should not spread dissension among the good Egyptian people who quickly take a fancy to one program or another. The outcome is manipulation and disguising facts.

There is no doubt the dialogues that are broadcast over Egyptian channels have several effects, both negative and positive. If we talk about the positive effects, this would include awareness programs that enrich public information for the viewer and add lots of info that he might be unaware of, confirm information which he did not know, or deny news that was heard from reliable sources. These programs benefit the viewers very much in all political, economic, and religious areas, and life in general. There are topics for discussion that allow viewers to know everybody else's opinions, compare them, and create the spirit of choice at the optimal level through multiple perspectives, building the thought and mind of the viewer through the plurality of opinions, to form a special opinion, and allowing the viewer to participate in the views through telephone interviews either by expressing his opinion or discussing the opinion of others, so that great intellectual development happens in the viewer's mind and awareness of citizens in all areas of life. There are other negative programs that air false information or falsify facts as a means to raise or bring down someone, or an issue that is meant for a special interest and not for the interest of the public, and there are people trying to destroy some stuff or beautify things at the expense of the truth about this thing, raise the shares of a subject or drop a subject for special interests, and there are talk Shows whose first aim is to harm certain persons or certain matters to thwart what is successful or the success of what is a failure, and we find people who speak loudly and argue with abusive words, and in the end find ourselves not getting any positive opinion and reaping only tension.