Egypt has always been a center of the world. In fact, Egyptians consider their homeland to be the ‘Mother of the World' – and the rest of the world has always followed what happens in Egypt. After the events of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, the world is watching closer than ever. They don't just want the news: they want the background story. Who are the Egyptians? What do they think about what's happening? Is the Muslim Brotherhood really as big a threat as they've been told? I've seen the results of misunderstanding and poor international media coverage: during the revolution, a family friend sent me an e-mail asking whether change would really be good for Egypt if the Islamic Brotherhood was going to take over and all they wanted was to crush Christianity. It is not the media's job to dispel ignorance. The media's job is to report and analyze the news. That said, it is important to tell the story under the surface, particularly when writing for a foreign audience. Yet there continues to be a lack in quality, understandable news coverage coming out of Egypt in English. Youm7 English Edition aims to fill that gap. With reporters in every governorate in Egypt, Youm7 has the resources to cover both the top news and more local, but equally interesting, stories. We want to give our readers a bit of both. From exclusive interviews with members of Hamas to powerful images of last night's clashes in Imbaba, Youm7 English Edition aims to bring new angles on the stories you've already heard and coverage of the ones you haven't. To that end, we're also launching an unprecedented project: Youm7's Egypt Wiki. From politicians to public figures, political parties to non-governmental organizations, our wiki is full of short, to-the-point articles to help the uninitiated grasp Egyptian politics. As we launch our Beta version, we're looking for your input as readers: What do we do well? What could we do better? What news would you like to see covered? What articles need to be added to the Egypt Wiki? Send us your input: [email protected]. And follow us on Twitter! @Youm7_EE
