Egyptian Journalists Protest Editors’ Pledge Not to Criticize State

Hundreds of Egyptian journalists objected to a pledge by newspaper editors to refrain from publishing reports critical of the government, calling the curb on freedom of expression “a victory for terrorism.”

More than 350 journalists signed an online statement responding to the editors. It was a rare instance of public dissent since the military takeover 16 months ago and the first hint of discontent within the news media over its near-unanimous support for the government. “The terrorists will win when they can control the media, and the state will fall when it agrees on the same goal,” the journalists argued. “Confronting terrorism is a duty and an honor, and it has nothing to do with the nationalization of the press or the voluntary abandonment of freedom of speech.”