ONTV's director, Albert Shafik, told Reem Maged that the third episode of her show Gamea Moanath Salem (Feminine Plural) had been pulled by the station following pressure from a “sovereign authority”, the presenter said on 15 April. The sudden suspension of the programme, and Maged's reputation as a sharp critic of the army during the 18 months the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) governed Egypt following Mubarak's ouster, has led some to believe ONTV's decision is linked to increasing pressure by the state to limit freedom of expression in Egypt. Under Hosni Mubarak the term “sovereign authority” was a euphemism for either the presidency or the General Intelligence Service. Maged is also not the only government critic to disappear from the airwaves since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on 3 July, 2013. ONTV's Yousri Foda, Dream TV's Hafez Mirazi and satirist Bassem Youssef top the list of those whose programmes have been suspended for one reason or the other. Government supporters argue that an ongoing war against terrorism and daily clashes with Muslim Brotherhood supporters mean the media should stand squarely behind the army and police. Since becoming president Al-Sisi has repeatedly called on the media “to play its role in assuring national unity”. Under the title “A girl that scares the government” ONA news agency, owned by businessman Naguib Sawiris and affiliated to the television channel ONTV, was the first to air the news about Maged. ONA reported that “informed sources inside ONTV confirm they were subject to strong pressure from security and sovereign authorities to stop the show, Gamea Moanath Salem .” The sources added “they were surprised to be subject to such pressure considering the social nature of the programme”. The show was a joint production by ONTV and the German television channel Deutche Welle (DW.) The third episode was aired on Saturday, 16 May, but only on Deutche Welle. Deutche Welle issued a strongly worded statement condemning the decision to pull the show from ONTV as “a flagrant aggression against freedom of opinion and the press.” Following ONA's Friday report Maged gave interviews to hosts of two popular television shows, including one from ONTV. She said ONTV officials had informed her that they were being pressured to stop airing the show. “The channel's director then informed me officially on Thursday, 14 May, that they will not be able to broadcast the third episode,” Maged told Mahmoud Saad in an interview on Al-Nahar TV. Maged said the channel was not given specific reasons why the show should stop and objected to “any authority that acts like a guardian on the Egyptian people telling them what they should watch, and what they should not watch.” Seven hours after the original report on ONA confirming the channel had been pressured into halting the show ONTV issued an official statement offering a different explanation. “Reem Maged's show has not been suspended,” said the statement. “It has been postponed as part of the channel's plans to restructure our programmes. ONTV's policy is not to comment on rumours but our respect for our colleague Reem Maged has forced us to make this clarification.” ONTV owner Sawiris told the private daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, of which he is a shareholder, that he had not received any instructions from “a sovereign authority” to stop Maged's show. “I'm not the kind of person who gets instructions from anyone,” he said. Sawiris said that Maged's show had been suspended because “she did not get a single advertisement.” “I respect Reem Maged and appreciate her but she has an obsession with something called sovereign authority,” said Sawiris. He made no mention of any plans to restructure ONTV's programmes. It is not only Maged who has been left confused by the conflicting reports. She notes that her programme was announced in a joint ONTV/ Deutche Welle press conference on 8 April, and was the subject of an intensive promotion campaign. “How could an agreement be reached on airing the programme on the two channels, with specific dates set for broadcasts, if ONTV had plans to restructure it programme schedules?” she asks. The problem, perhaps, is that though Gamea Moanath Salem centered on telling the stories of women and the struggles they face, the first two episodes of the 25-minute show both contained references to the 25 January Revolution. In the first episode Maged hosted Shahira Mehrez, an expert on Egyptian women's heritage. The last question Maged asked her guest was about the best day of her life. “25 January (2011) was the most beautiful day in my life,” Mehrez replied. Photo journalist Eman Hilal was Maged's guest on the second episode, aired on 9 May. The first half of the show was devoted to a review of Hilal's best work. Hilal dated the real start of her career as the 25 January Revolution, and showed four year-old photos to prove the point. Asked about the most dangerous event she had covered and what had frightened her most Hilal referred to the dragging and brutal beating of a young veiled woman in the middle of Tahrir Square by soldiers in late 2011. Hilal also showed a series of bloody pictures taken during clashes between the army and Brotherhood supporters three days after Morsi's removal. Hilal also recalled photos she had taked when security forces violently dispersed the pro-Rabaa sit-in on 14 August, 2013. “I saw a small truck coming from Rabaa full of corpses. There was blood was dripping from the car,” Hilal told Maged. An ONTV official told Al-Ahram Weekly that the 9 May episode had angered security bodies. “We received furious calls from senior security officials saying Maged should not be allowed to continue her propaganda against the army,” the official said. He refused, however, to reveal the identity of the security officials who contacted the channel. On Monday Maged posted a question on her Facebook page: “Do you believe the content of the second episode, and speaking about the dispersal of the Rabaa sit-in, was the reason my show was banned by ONTV?” she asked. Yes, answered many of her fans. Maged's detractors, meanwhile, appeared overjoyed she will no longer be appearing on TV. “To the hell with you and all those who stand against our national army,” posted one commentator.
