President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a decree defining the composition of three new media bodies on Tuesday: the Higher Council for Media Regulation (HCMR); the National Press Authority (NPA); and the National Media Authority (NMA). The heads of bodies will be Makram Mohamed Ahmed for the HCMR, Karam Gabr for the NPA, and Hussein Zein for the NMA, with each appointment announced through media statements. Each body is comprised of 13 members drawn from different sources and variously selected by the president, parliament, the press syndicate, the Higher Council for Universities, the State Council and the Ministry of Finance. The NPA will replace the current Higher Press Council, taking charge of supervising state-owned press organisations. It will be responsible for selecting the board chairmen and editors of their affiliated publications. The NMA will replace the current Radio and Television Union (RTU), with a mandate to oversee state-owned audio-visual media, radio, and digital media institutions in a manner that guarantees their independence, professionalism and profitability, according to the constitution. The HCMR will regulate all media outlets, whether audio-visual, digital or print – both public and private – in coordination with the NPA and the NMA. The HCMR will also take charge of licensing media outlets and drawing up a code of media ethics, with a focus on respecting public morals and national security concerns, by which all media organisations must abide, whether they be public, private or owned by political parties.
