The Egyptian media have been playing an important role in covering the first free presidential elections, the first since the January 25 revolution and the first truly multi-candidate presidential elections in Egyptian history. Local media have been broadcasting all the election events inside and outside the polling stations, reflecting transparency and democracy. All media outlets are competing to inform the Egyptian people about the latest developments in the race and to fill them in on the background of the candidates. Although some media people have made small mistakes, the media's methods are improving and they're speaking with more freedom than in the past. Some satellite channels have been broadcasting every moment of the elections, explaining the candidates' manifestoes, as well as the candidates' response to the public's questions about the problems facing Egyptian society. This has restored the viewers' confidence in the local media. “We should respect the will of the ballot box and the media should use the tools of democracy. Egypt's interests should be put above every political consideration and the media should express the free will of the Egyptian people. “Democracy should mean respect for human rights and public freedoms,” says Mohamed Faeq, a senior human rights official in Africa and vice-president of the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt. “On June 16 and 17, the Egyptians will go to the ballots in the runoff between Air Marshal Ahmed Shafiq and the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi. “We urge the media to talk freely during these few days before the elections about whom the people want to be the next president and what they want of him,” he adds. Bahgat el-Ghazali, a professor of political science at Cairo University, says: “Before the January 25 revolution, many media organs promoted the old regime rather than serving the Egyptian people; since the revolution, the State-owned media have become a great deal freer with the people. “And the State media are happy to broadcast interviews with people putting forward critical opinions.” He adds that the national media have totally changed since the revolution; they have come far more professional, as their coverage of the presidential campaigns shows. “State Television and Radio have been telling the public that it is their civic duty to vote. Other media outlets are also giving equal airtime to the candidates, so they can't be accused of being biased. “On Egyptian satellite television, we have seen new types of programmes featuring live debates between the candidates, with viewers asking them how they're going to solve their problems. “In my opinion, the media are playing a big role in covering these elections. They are like an exam that the Egyptian media must pass,” Prof. el-Ghazali stresses. “Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, what are known as the ‘new media', are doing much to help the two candidates' campaigns,” says Nehad Ali, a professor of modern media at Al-Azhar University. But she adds that some electronic news websites have been guilty of defaming certain candidates, publishing rumours and falsehoods to discredit some and promote others. “Some journalists or broadcasters have also made offensive remarks about some candidates,” stresses Prof. Nehad. Around 25 million Egyptians use networking websites, with 7 million using Facebook and 1.5 million Twitter, according to recent statistics. “The true media should defend the rights of citizens and present the facts. They should be biased in favour of the Egyptians' interests. “They should also respect the free democratic choice of the voters and instil confidence in the Egyptian people. “In addition, efforts should focus more on improving the use of new media for the purposes of campaign propaganda, as well as promoting interaction between candidates and their parties and the people, in order to promote principles, ethics and social responsibility,” she adds.
