The beginnings of modern mass media in Egypt date back to 1798, when the first mass circulation newspaper in Alexandria was established by Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, the Egyptian press consists of national daily and weekly newspapers and regional publications centered in the larger cities. Most media are in Arabic (the official language of Egypt), but there are also a daily and weekly newspapers in English, and a daily newspaper in French. Overall, of course, one has to understand that the newspaper readership is naturally low, explained by the literacy rate.
The areas of media outreach and media access are closely tied to media control in Egypt. Since the times of Nasser, the Egyptian media have been owned/controlled by the state. Privatisation of Egypt’s economy hasn’t really included the mass media industry, though some suggest that the process will just be slower as far as the media are concerned. The government today are less able to control what Egyptians view, now that the Internet and satellite television have been introduced.
The PR profession is continuously growing in Egypt. Some obstructions remain that will constrain the growth, and it is explained that it’s not likely that Egyptian PR will ever mirror the Western model completely. However, as the economy continues to move in towards privatisation and as the Egyptian government, culture, and the media become more welcoming of the conditions that accompany the privatisations, PR will find an environment where it’s increasingly welcome and necessary.
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Kevin L. Keenan: Public Relations in Egypt: Practices, Obstacles, and Potentials. In The Global Public Relations Handbook.
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2 comments:
Hi!!
Are there problems with censorship, becuase of the state-owned media?
Maria
From what I read, yes, it seems that is the problem here. Having such media control means the outpour of information becomes very one-sided. Fortunately that is changing, though only gradually.
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