CAIRO: Leading Egyptian television personality Yousri Fouda, the host of the popular “Akher Kalam,” or “Last Word,” announced on Friday that he would not bow to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) attempts to censor the content of the program. The move has been praised by many in Egypt, especially the activist community, who view the decision as a stand against censorship and in support of media freedom in the country. Still, the question that needs answering is whether Fouda's move will do little to advance freedom of press in an Egypt that appears moving backwards after an uprising ousted the former regime of Hosni Mubarak in February. “I think he could have done more by staying on air than by just saying enough and leaving his post,” said one Egyptian journalist. She told Bikyamasr.com that by ending his show, he loses his millions of viewers, who had tuned in nightly to hear discussions on the current state of affairs facing Egypt. Certainly, there is much truth to this argument, that by staying on air, Fouda would have been able to reach out to his audience, and divulge the injustices meted out on media professionals by the ruling military junta in the country. Instead, he took a stand, at once admirable and at once frustrating. Fouda should have, at the very least, took to the air waves and read his letter to the country, instead of issuing the statement through alternative means. He has a voice, one that is trusted, but the likely result of not telling why he was leaving on air, he failed to educate a majority of his readers in a country where less than 40 percent use the Internet daily. I believe Fouda would have been able to do more by staying in his position, forcing the SCAF to publicly crackdown on his show. This would have enabled more Egyptians to see the errors of the military's rule over Egypt. By saying good-bye to the program, at least for the time being, he is, in essence bowing to the military's attempts to censor. If someone of Fouda's caliber fails to fight against the SCAF, who can? This is the crux of the matter. While his stand on journalistic integrity is vital and important, ending the program will do little to push ideas of censorship forward in the country's current predicament. He will undoubtedly receive much attention from local and foreign media for the next few days, but in the end, he will be forgotten; remembered as someone who had a great and informative show in the post-revolution Egypt, but we will likely forget. And that is why we should all implore Fouda to go back on air, strike fear in the military. Show the country that the country can once again stand up against the tyranny being handed down by the SCAF rulers. Fouda should, at the very least, inform the country that the military is an extension of Mubarak era politics. They were the Defense Ministry for 18 years under Mubarak. This, Egyptians seem to have forgotten. The revolution depends largely on people like Fouda standing up for what is right. While he has done this, remaining on air could have given him a pulpit in which he could inform, educate and ultimately fight against the travesties that are persisting in Egypt at the moment. BM
