Egypt's media regulatory laws merit a review, said Major General Mukhtar al-Molla, a member of the country's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). A law should be introduced to regulate the relationship between media and business interests to prevent the media from falling completely under the influence of wealth, Molla said during a Wednesday SCAF-organized seminar, which was attended by media professionals, academics and intellectuals. “Egypt has been a media pioneer in the fields of broadcast, TV and journalism. Egypt's media has to work on restoring that leadership through veracity and constructive criticism,” he said. The head of the armed forces' moral affairs department, Ismail Etman, stressed the importance of coordination among media outlets in order to preserve the country's security and stability. Etman urged cautious handling of military-related issues, which he described as sensitive to the country's security, saying that this was the reason behind earlier calls for the media to avoid criticizing the military. “If a report about the Central Bank of Egypt is introduced in a way that compromises the economy, that is a security issue,” he added, saying that the armed forces, like the rest of Egyptians, are anxious to serve the country's interests. Former head of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) Hassan Hamed highlighted the need for legal and financial independence for the union, noting that the TV and radio unions are public property. Translated from the Arabic Edition
