Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Magdi Al-Agati told reporters MPs will discuss three draft laws regulating as soon as they are revised by the State Council. “It was originally proposed that a unified law on the press and the media be drafted but the State Council recommended the legislation be divided into three separate laws,” said Al-Agati. Mostafa Bakri, journalist and independent MP, told a public seminar at Ain Shams University this week that the draft laws on the media and the press were referred to parliament on 16 November. “Initially a single 213-article unified law on the press and the media was envisaged bit when it was referred to the State Council in October. The council recommended it be divided into three laws to better conform with the 2014 constitution,” said Bakri. Articles 211, 212 and 213 of the Constitution stipulate the creation of three bodies, the Higher Council for Media Regulation, the National Press Organisation and the National Media Organisation. “Each body will be governed by its own law,” said Bakri, “and that governing the National Press Organisation is the most important”. “The 84-article draft law states that the National Press Organisation (NPO) will replace the Higher Press Council, taking charge of supervising the state-owned – or national – press. The NPO will be responsible for selecting the chairmen of national press organisations and the editors of their affiliated publications. Each board will comprise 17 members – nine of them elected and eight named by the NPO. Boards will serve a three year term.” Ali Hassan, chief editor of the government-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA), told the seminar, the NPO law guarantees the independence of national press organisations. “The law requires national newspapers to act in a professional way, reflecting all points of view in a neutral manner because they are national media outlets not private or partisan mouthpieces.” Hassan said the NPO will be mandated to name the chairmen of national press organisations. “Candidates must meet a number of conditions. They have to have no less than 20 years professional experience in press, administrative and financial circles, have no criminal record, no shares or stocks in any press organisation, no affiliation with any political party and be in a position to fully exercise their political rights,” said Hassan. The law separates editorial staff and the board council. “Editorial teams composed of 11 senior journalists will determine the publication's editorial policy without any interference from the boards,” says Hassan. Editors-in-chief, who must have at least 15 years professional experience, will serve three year terms which can be renewed just once. The law also states that journalists retire at the age of 60. “It does, however, allow journalists to work until they are 65 providing they are approved by the board council on an annual basis,” said Hassan. Abdel-Mohsen Salama, managing editor of Al-Ahram Press Organisation, said members of the Higher Council for Media Regulation, the National Press Organisation and the National Media Organisation will be appointed ahead of the passing of the three laws. “The constitution stipulates how these boards should be formed,” said Salama. In addition to boosting the performance of national press organisations and naming their chairmen and editorial staff the NPO will be entrusted with conducting periodic reviews of the financial and administrative performance of these organisations. “It will act like a watchdog, ensuring national press organisations generate profits, place maximum and minimum limits for wages and set the price of papers and magazines,” said Salama. The National Media Organisation (NMO) will oversee state-owned audio-visual, radio and digital media institutions in a manner that guarantees their independence, professionalism and profitability. The NMO will face the difficult task of reforming the giant Radio and Television Union. “The union has been spiralling out of control for some time. The NMO will be expected to turn it from a huge loss-making institution into a profitable and attractive business,” says Hassan. The Higher Council for Media Regulation (HCMR) will supervise all media outlets in Egypt. “HCMR will regulate all forms of media outlets, audio, visual, digital and print,” said Bakri. “The HCMR'sboard will comprise 13 leading media experts,” said Hassan. “It will give priority to reviewing all media laws, including the Press Syndicate Law which dates from the 1960s. The HCMR will also draw up a code of ethics, respecting public morals and national security concerns, which media organisations will be expected to abide by,” said Hassan. Bakri told Al-Ahram Weekly the three draft media laws should be passed within one month. “As stipulated by the constitution the president of the republic should first name members of the board of the Higher Council for Media Regulation. This step should be taken ahead of the three media laws being passed by parliament,” said Bakri. He added “the discussion of media laws in parliament should send encouraging signs”. “It shows the government is keen on implementing the constitution and reforming state-owned press organisations. The Ministry of Finance has already offered national press organisations LE1.2 billion in urgent economic assistance after the Egyptian pound lost half of its value against the dollar.”
