The Supreme Council for Media Regulation in Egypt has obligated institutions, media and press outlets, and digital platforms not to circulate or discuss any content related to crises, family disputes, or secrets of the personal lives of all citizens without exception, and to adhere to the media standards issued by the Council and the organization for controls on media coverage in this regard.
The Council affirmed in a statement on Saturday that “the sanctity of private life is an inherent right guaranteed by the Constitution,” and that “protecting individuals’ privacy is not negated by fame or public standing,” stressing that freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of the media are accompanied by responsibility, and that society’s right to knowledge is linked to what achieves the public interest, and does not extend to turning personal matters into material for media coverage.
This comes according to what the Council explained within the framework of carrying out its constitutional and legal responsibilities in adhering to professional and ethical rules, preserving the sanctity of private life and public morals, and controlling media practice in a way that achieves a balance between freedom of opinion and expression and the responsibility resulting from it.
The statement said: “The Council followed and monitored with great regret the details that were recently broadcast and circulated through some media outlets, websites and electronic accounts affecting the private and family lives of some citizens, public figures and national symbols, and the accompanying treatment of their personal crises, in a way that represents a violation of media honor codes.”
The former Dean of the Faculty of Information at the British University, Dr. Muhammad Shoman, agrees with the statement of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, stressing that “the privacy of individuals is protected by law and media codes, as well as the privacy of public figures unless their personal problems affect their performance in public work.” He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “The media’s interest in the personal lives of public figures must be regulated, as it is not permissible to address private issues that do not affect their public work.”
Shoman pointed out that “the statement made it clear that there are rules for previous publications in this regard, in addition to legal regulation, but we still have a problem in Egypt with the intensity of journalistic competition, as well as the competition to achieve ‘trends’. Therefore, newspapers or new media outlets must train their employees to respect the privacy of individuals and public figures.” He stressed the need to educate journalists about journalistic and media codes of honor, and Shoman continued: “I hope that the Supreme Council for Media attaches such statements and decisions to a disciplinary regulation.” Of course, I am against any penalty of imprisonment, but there must be specific penalties, including fines and suspension, in agreement with the union.”
The Council had issued a statement a few days ago in which it confirmed that a number of measures had been taken regarding the media coverage of the private life of Captain Hossam Hassan, the technical director of the national team, including summoning the legal representatives of several channels to hearing sessions, to determine the circumstances of the media coverage and the coverage of the details of private, personal and family life, in violation of the media codes and standards issued by the Council.
Among the measures are also obligating all media outlets, press outlets, websites, and social media outlets subject to the provisions of the Press and Media Regulation Law No. 180 of 2018, to prevent Dan Adam, the wife of Captain Hossam Hassan, from appearing on their screens or platforms, indefinitely, or publishing or making available any content related to this topic.
The former Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University, Dr. Laila Abdel Majeed, believes that the attempt of the Supreme Media Council to control media performance in Egypt deserves to be applauded. She added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Council’s obligation of the media not to circulate family disputes falls within the framework of a broader issue, which is the human right to privacy.” She pointed out that this matter affects the ordinary person, and extends to include the public figure as long as his private life has no relationship or influence on his public work.
She pointed out that “the problem that has arisen is that some public figures use social media to talk about their private lives, and they engage in arguments and discussions, which makes others believe that the public figure’s right to privacy has been forfeited, and therefore this recommendation must be implemented.” The powers of the Supreme Media Council make it entitled, in the event of monitoring violations of media codes, to apply penalties to violators, which could limit this phenomenon.
She demanded that “there be a law that regulates the performance of social media sites to stop these practices until a balance is achieved between society’s right to knowledge and the right of citizens and public figures to privacy.”
In this context, many local newspapers and websites published news about the investigations being conducted with the second wife of Captain Hassan Shehata after he submitted a report that included accusing his second wife of seizing a number of his personal belongings, sums of money, and private documents. The case developed after the arrest of Hassan Shehata’s second wife on the basis of the report, and the incident became before the investigating authorities, according to what was published by local media.
Dr. Sarah Fawzi, teacher of digital media at Cairo University, posed what she described as a difficult question, which starts from the public’s right to know to the public person’s right to privacy. She asked: “Where does the right to know end and the curiosity industry begin for the purpose of profit?”
She added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “The Supreme Media Council can monitor and prevent press institutions, but we need to activate the (Supreme Media) committees to monitor pages that are not affiliated with press institutions but have millions of followers, and publish many offensive statements that are taken out of context to increase views and profit.”
She pointed out that “the focus on personal life exists abroad within the principle of society’s right to know, but the problem is that some newspapers and pages have begun to amplify the news and republish it in a way that could lead to distorting the image of the public figure.”
With a golden throat carrying deep classical melodies and lyrics, “The Caesar”, Kazem El Saher, sang in New Cairo (east of the historic Egyptian capital) a distinctive bouquet of his most beautiful new and old songs in a concert described as “extraordinary” that raised the slogan “full numbers”, after his absence from performing concerts in Egypt for about two years, so that this concert would be the best comeback for the Iraqi star, who enjoys great popularity in Egypt.
The concert during which “The Caesar” celebrated his latest album, “Untitled,” brought back memories of the hustle and bustle of his concerts in the nineties of the last century and the beginning of the new millennium, especially his appearance on the “Layali TV” stage, which was crowded with attendees at the end, during which the audience carried roses and dolls, chanting, “We love you, Kazem.”
The audience did not forget, no matter how much Kazem was gone, and no matter how much life passed, the words “Laila and I,” “Add Me Love,” “School of Love,” and “Say I Love You,” and they did not miss the opportunity. They did not limit themselves to celebrating the album and broadcasting it live through their “social” accounts, but they surprised their favorite artist and celebrated his birthday, giving him bouquets of roses again, and they got up from their seats and lit up the mobile phone cameras. To document the moment that is rarely repeated, they chanted: “Happy New Year, beautiful.”
Several “social” comments made it clear that Kazem El Saher’s concerts in Egypt are different from other concerts, as they require calm and concentration in the words of his poems and melodies.
The audience at the concert surprised “Al-Qaiser” by repeating the lyrics of the songs from his new album, “Untitled,” many of which were penned by Al-Saher along with a group of poets, and whose melodies were presented in full.
Al-Saher, who stresses that he loves to meet his fans every time with a new song, sang the song “She Came” at his Cairo concert, which caused a remarkable reaction from the audience, especially the women.
In turn, Egyptian art critic Maha Matbouli, who attended the concert, confirmed that the Iraqi artist was at his best, pointing out that his harmony with the audience was clear in every song. She also described the concert as “exceptional,” and that Al-Saher left the stage after the concert ended with the utmost happiness and gratitude for what he saw of the Egyptian audience’s appreciation.
Maha Matbouli pointed out to Asharq Al-Awsat that Kazem Al-Saher’s happiness was increasing in Egypt. He sang for more than two hours without getting tired or bored amidst interaction and chants of love. His looks and smiles expressed what was inside him. He even asked his business manager to take care of intensifying his concerts in Egypt, whose people he courted.
Maha Matbouli confirmed that the audience surprised Kazem by celebrating his birthday three times on the stage, which was filled with bouquets of roses.
Regarding his new song “She Came,” which sparked controversy, Maha Matbouli said: “It is the first time he sang it in Egypt, and he mentioned before that an Egyptian fan said to him, ‘Why do you think so against us?’ Therefore, before he sang it, he commented on it in a comical way on stage.”
The album “Untitled,” which was celebrated by Kazem El Saher in Egypt, includes 18 songs and lyric poems, including “I Went to You,” “Tattoo,” “Ignore Me,” “It’s All a Lie,” “The Beautiful Ones,” and “You Smoke.”
In addition to his new album, Kazem El Saher announced in a press statement two days ago that he would present a new song that will be released soon from the words of the late Egyptian poet Morsi Gamil Aziz. Cairo studios witnessed the completion of the work and the recording of the song in the presence of Major General Magdy Morsi, son of the late poet. Kazem El Saher expressed his happiness with this cooperation, stressing: “It is a musical responsibility, and a challenge in composing it.”
A state of ambiguity prevails regarding the participation of Egyptian artists in the second edition of the Nineveh Film Festival, scheduled to be held in the Iraqi city of Mosul from October 8 to 10.
Controversy arose after Egyptian director Ashraf Fayek announced his withdrawal from the festival. He was scheduled to chair the jury, along with a number of Egyptian artists who were scheduled to be honored during the events. Fayek attributed his decision to what he described as the “arrogance and arrogance” of the festival’s director, Laith Askar, and his inappropriate style of dealing with Egyptian stars, in a way that does not befit their artistic status. As he said.
He stressed that his position does not affect the relations of love and brotherhood between the Egyptian and Iraqi peoples, nor his relationship with Iraqi artists, explaining that what happened - from his point of view - reflects “the actions of the festival director and his limited experience in managing events and dealing with artists,” according to what he wrote on his Facebook account.
But the Iraqi festival administration issued a statement hours later, in which it confirmed that what was announced about the Egyptian delegation’s withdrawal from participation does not reflect the reality of what happened, and that director Ashraf Fayek made his decision individually, against the backdrop of a dispute related to the fees for jury membership, after he requested an additional financial increase amounting to five times the amount agreed upon; According to what was stated in the statement.
The festival's management stressed its pride in the participation of Egyptian artists in its two sessions, and in the role played by Egyptian art and its ancient history in enriching the Arab cinematic and cultural scene.
The director of the Nineveh Festival, Laith Askar, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the position of director Ashraf Fayek is personal and expresses only himself, stressing that the only apology the festival received from an Egyptian artist was from one of the six names expected to attend, due to his association with filming on a date that coincides with the festival.
He added, “The rest of the Egyptian artists, whose names will be announced successively, have confirmed their attendance and sent their passports to obtain the necessary visas.” Pointing out that “Egyptian stars are very welcome, and those who attended the first edition received a celebration and honor that befits them.”
On the other hand, Egyptian director Ashraf Fayek told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The festival director responded with sarcasm to an artist’s request to advance his return date by a few hours, due to his commitment to a filming date, despite his previous approval of the request,” explaining that this position was like the last straw after weeks of dealings that he described as inappropriate.
He pointed out that he would “address the Iraqi Ministry of Culture to stop the festival, against the backdrop of the violations that occurred.”
He continued, “Egyptian artists will not go to the festival; Because they agreed to participate for his sake, and by virtue of his personal relationship with them.” Pointing out that “what was stated regarding the wage in the press release issued by the festival is inaccurate.”
He confirmed that he had “actually agreed to chair the jury for the new session, and that the amount he requested to be paid for this task is the same as what he receives at any other festival,” pointing out that “the first session, which was held last year, witnessed a similar situation between them days before its launch, but he overlooked what happened to avoid disturbing the festival.”
