Media in Egypt…a professional pause

As all state institutions were exposed to cleansing operations after the January 25 revolution from the remnants of the former regime who were completely against the Egyptian revolution. What's left is  cleansing the media after the military institution and soon for judiciary. It's time to reform the media and make it neutral and accountable, not a tool to spread lies and temptations against the interests of millions of Egyptians. In my interview with the famous English television journalist Tim Sebastian, he said "the Egyptian local media is dealing with its audience through a negative image, as it can't understand the core message of the media, which is 'spreading awareness'." We all know that almost half of the Egyptians have weak academic backgrounds, and a weak understanding of political issues, so they need someone to help them understand and be aware of the events surrounding them. What is really happening is the spread of lies and temptations which raises rumours among citizens, leading to chaos the kind of which we are currently witnessing. I didn’t talk about all media organisations in Egypt, but about some specific institutions led by official Egyptian television which really need radical cleansing. They need a new policy to deal with citizens, substituting the deception which lasted for a long time, ending by claiming that President Mohammed Morsi has attended the funeral of Rafah Martyrs, which was untrue, although the broadcaster went so far as to describe the moment he supposedly entered the funeral description. This is a major professional mistake. There are so many other partisan and independent institutions that work for personal and political interests, without regarding the higher interests of the country, and don't care about the impact of what they publish on Egyptians, and how it foments discord among them. I think the solution is to develop a charter of ethics for the media, and work to reform the Egyptian media according to a new policy that seeks to achieve balance between freedom, responsibility and the rights of society and journalists. It is important to study media restructuring, because hasn't yet reached the state of revolution. Once, a journalist-professor at Cairo University, Dr Hesham Attia, suggested to me a solution to the lies and rumours in the local media, which is opening a formal community dialogue in order to develop an ethics charter for the media formulated by journalists, civil organisations and syndicates. This can benefit the profession and the media process itself, monitor media abuse, and set regulations that appreciate constructive criticism of the performance of the media and professional practices. This charter is being established between the media and its role towards society and all state institutions, pushing for a balanced professional performance which should include professional publishing. If news about the presidency spreads, leading to an official spokesperson confirming or denying the news before it is published, it would be an ideal situation. My last message to local means of media is to watch their consciences and observe their work and realise that every word they say, even if it consists of two letters, is significant and meaningful to many people, and may destroy years of hopes for millions of people. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.