Egypt’s prime minister has appointed a 66-member committee to chart a path for the country’s media reform, but journalists say the move lacks independence and reinforces state dominance.
PM Mostafa Madbouly issued the decree this week, triggering criticism from media professionals and press freedom advocates.
The committee is tasked with diagnosing the media crisis, setting reform goals, and assigning responsibility for implementation. But critics note the group’s makeup raises questions about its autonomy.
The formation of the committee follows an Aug. 10 directive by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who summoned top media regulators and called for a plan to bring Egyptian media up to par with “the rapidly changing global developments,” and align with the goals of the so-called “New Republic.”
El-Sisi stressed the need to combat misinformation during crises and ensure the public receives “accurate information.” But many journalists see the initiative as a top-down attempt to tighten the regime’s control over an already muzzled press.
Veteran journalist Yehia Kalash, former head of the Journalists Syndicate, said the committee should have been formed independently. “The most pressing task is to seriously diagnose the media crisis,” Kalash told Al Manassa. “If we misdiagnose the problem, we can’t expect a real solution.”
He argued that state repression and censorship have created a vacuum around key national issues. “The deterioration in media harms national security,” Kalash added. “We've seen this in recent years.”
While acknowledging the presence of respected professionals in the group, Kalash emphasized that they must be allowed to operate freely. His concerns were echoed by committee member and media trainer Yasser El-Zayat, who noted to Al Manassa that he would concentrate on digital strategy and media ownership but remained “cautiously optimistic.”
Broadcaster Mohamed Ali Khair voiced his criticism online. “There is no media without freedom, no media without access to information, and no media owned by ministries,” he remarked.
Khair cautioned against monopolies and cronyism, calling instead for pluralism and merit-based appointments. “Media can’t grow when opposing voices are excluded, and institutions are dominated by a single entity,” he added.
The newly-formed committee includes academics, trainers, syndicate leaders, and figures from private and state media. But it is heavily weighted toward pro-government institutions.
Ten members hail from United Media Services, a powerful conglomerate aligned with the security apparatus, and another ten represent Al-Ahram, including editor-in-chief Ezzat Ibrahim. Absent are voices from Al-Gomhuria and other key state-owned publications. Yet some officials from Akhbar Al-Youm, and both the National Media Authority and National Press Authority are included.
According to Madbouly’s decree, the main committee will form subcommittees chaired by its members and may consult external experts. Subcommittees are expected to deliver reports within a month.
The full committee will then submit their final recommendations to the prime minister within two months, before being forwarded to the president for the final stamp of approval.
Kalash warned against repeating what he described to Al Manassa as “empty dialogues” of past reform efforts.
“Any initiative is welcome,” he concluded. “But there’s a fear we’ll end up back where we started, like with the national dialogue or earlier media reform attempts that yielded no results.”
