With the first anniversary of the January 25 uprising in Egypt fast approaching, Egypt’s military junta has stepped up its media campaign against democracy activists. Since February 2011, sixteen private channels, many of them owned by bussiness tycoons, have received licences from the state. However, in September 2011, Egypt`s military junta froze the granting of new licenses for private satellite TV stations. According to the New York Times, Communication Minister Osama Heikal told reporters that the decision stemmed from concerns about alleged incitement to violence and sedition by some media outlets. Back in July 2011, Heikal had been appointed as Information Minister by the military, a post that had initially been abolished following the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak.
So what is the current media landscape in Egypt, and what is the state of freedom of the press in Egypt today? Malihe Razazan put these questions to Egyptian journalist and activist Hossam El Hamalawy.