An object lesson in why our hopelessly compromised pro-jihad pseudo-journalists in the U.S., such as Christiane Amanpour, Manya Brachear, Bob Smietana, Kari Huus, Dave Weigel, Michael Kruse, Eli Clifton, Alex Kane, Adam Serwer, Max Blumenthal, etc., are cutting their own throats by propagandizing for Sharia and defaming freedom fighters.
“In the name of morals and Sharia, media freedoms may contract,” by Sarah Carr and Mohamad Adam for Egypt Independent, December 29 (thanks to Twostellas):
President Mohamed Morsy has largely picked up where Hosni Mubarak left off in terms of media freedom. A case in point is the constitution.
Critics argue that the constitution, which was just approved by 63.8 percent, does not go far enough to protect media freedoms.
Article 48 guarantees freedom of the press and media independence “while respecting the sanctity of citizens” private lives and the requirements of national security.” It makes a court order mandatory for the closure of media outlets.
Article 49 guarantees freedom to publish and own newspapers, while the establishment of radio and television stations is “regulated by law.”
In Article 215, the National Media Council is made responsible for regulating all forms of media including the digital press. Notably, amongst its duties is to “observe the values and constructive traditions of society.”
Karim Abdel Rady, a lawyer with the Arab Network for Human Rights, expresses concern that this could open the door to the imposition of restrictions on media freedom in the name of morals and Sharia.
Meanwhile, Article 216 states that the National Press and Media Association is responsible for state-owned media.
Safwat al-Aalem, head of Cairo University”s committee on media performance and evaluation of the political media, says the formation of the National Media Council will be decisive for the future of media.
Aalem says factors such as its composition, the powers granted to this council and the extent to which it is subject to administrative interference will be critical in determining its role.
Abdel Rady tells Egypt Independent that the constitution is silent on custodial sentences for crimes concerning insulting the president.
“In Mubarak’s era, we faced the problem of insult crimes. It now seems that in the coming period we”ll also be facing problems such as blasphemy crimes. It will be easy to interpret any media content as being in conflict with society”s morals where individuals are criticized,” Abdel Rady says.
He expects increased restrictions on media freedom in the year to come, particularly if Islamist currents gain a majority in the upcoming People’s Assembly elections….