The Listening Post

Egypt: The media’s role in politics

We examine Egypt’s media and the politicians they are covering in the country’s landmark election.

This week, we look at the media battleground in Egypt’s landmark election. Plus, debating terminology in the news coverage of America’s wars.

On June 16 and 17, Egyptians head to the polls eager to vote in the run-off stages of the country’s milestone election. Two candidates face off against one another: Ahmed Shafiq, the former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, and Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi.

It has been roughly 18 months since Mubarak, the former president, was deposed and the Egyptian public openly rejected the state-run media machine. But this current show of democracy, and the energised media landscape that has evolved, has exposed the pitfalls that come with a new, factionalised media landscape.

In this week’s News Divide, the media are being examined as closely as the politicians they are covering in the country’s landmark election.

This week’s News Bytes: Britain’s Guardian newspaper obtains documents that allegedly show that Mexico’s largest TV network accepted payments in return for favourable media coverage of politicians; still in Mexico, a journalist who reported on crime in her local area is reported missing with her two-year-old son; a new documentary on Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet ignites protests in the country; and the Greek MP who assaulted two female MPs live on television sues his victims.

Memorial Day in the US: The debate over news, terminology and war

On May 28, Americans observed Memorial Day, an annual ritual to remember those killed in action. For MSNBC news network’s host Chris Hayes it was a moment to reflect, not just on fallen soldiers, but on the terminology. Hayes questioned the US media’s habitual use of the word ‘hero’ when describing American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His comments sparked outrage among right-wing media outlets and the host was forced to publically apologise. What Chris Hayes learned, apart from a few new ways to apologise, is that to many Americans, this is not a discussion even worth having.

In this week’s feature, the Listening Post’s Marcela Pizarro on the terminology that galvanises America’s wars.

Our internet video of the week: We close the show this week with a video from Egyptian visual artist, Aalam Wassef. Like a number of videos that have emerged during the campaign, Wassef uses satire to get at the SCAF, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, and features a SCAF official ushering Egyptians into a voting booth from which there is no return. The veiled political point seems to suggest that the SCAF choice in this election is Mubarak holdover, Ahmed Shafiq. We hope you enjoy the show.

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Listening Post can be seen each week at the following times GMT: Saturday: 0830, 1930; Sunday: 1430; Monday: 0430.

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