Spring Break
The Daily OrangeEgyption bloggers visit SU to cover U.S. election season
By Sierra Jiminez
Posted: 9/29/08, 12:46 AM EST Section: Feature
Most of the newspapers in Egypt are government-owned or moderated, making independent Internet and blog sites one of the only ways for people to express their true opinions.
"I wanted to work as a journalist but then I found out that the journalism in Egypt is not as free as it should be," Abbas said. "I saw that the internet has potential to express your freedoms."
Abbas began publishing Arabic content online in 1998. But while sending his content to online Arabic newspapers, he realized that they were becoming restricted by the government just as traditional newspapers had been.
By 2004, Abbas began his own blog: Egyptian Awareness. At the time, the streets of Egypt were filled with political activity, protesting another term of Mubarak as the Egyptian leader. "These kind of activities were not getting enough coverage," Abbas said. He began taking pictures, video and audio of the events.
Soon, people began sending Abbas their own content, including a video documenting the torture of an Egyptian citizen in a police station in which an independent journalist identified the victim.
The video marked a significant cooperation between the blogging world and the traditional journalism in Egypt.
Similar to Abbas's experience, Ahmed Elderiny began blogging in 2005 because of the freedom an independent medium provided.
Elderiny, 27, is the first and youngest person to create an independent radio station in Egypt - political parties own most. TeetRadio, named after the sound broadcasting stations used when censoring comments, was formed in January 2008. The broadcast uses sarcasm to reach Egyptian citizens and educate them on the critical issues in the country.
"We are speaking freely," Elderiny said. "We are saying the prohibited content, and we are expressing our generation."
But the ability to speak freely comes at a price for the Egyptian bloggers.
"The official media is attacking us all the time, calling us liars and forgers," Abbas said.
"I wanted to work as a journalist but then I found out that the journalism in Egypt is not as free as it should be," Abbas said. "I saw that the internet has potential to express your freedoms."
Abbas began publishing Arabic content online in 1998. But while sending his content to online Arabic newspapers, he realized that they were becoming restricted by the government just as traditional newspapers had been.
By 2004, Abbas began his own blog: Egyptian Awareness. At the time, the streets of Egypt were filled with political activity, protesting another term of Mubarak as the Egyptian leader. "These kind of activities were not getting enough coverage," Abbas said. He began taking pictures, video and audio of the events.
Soon, people began sending Abbas their own content, including a video documenting the torture of an Egyptian citizen in a police station in which an independent journalist identified the victim.
The video marked a significant cooperation between the blogging world and the traditional journalism in Egypt.
Similar to Abbas's experience, Ahmed Elderiny began blogging in 2005 because of the freedom an independent medium provided.
Elderiny, 27, is the first and youngest person to create an independent radio station in Egypt - political parties own most. TeetRadio, named after the sound broadcasting stations used when censoring comments, was formed in January 2008. The broadcast uses sarcasm to reach Egyptian citizens and educate them on the critical issues in the country.
"We are speaking freely," Elderiny said. "We are saying the prohibited content, and we are expressing our generation."
But the ability to speak freely comes at a price for the Egyptian bloggers.
"The official media is attacking us all the time, calling us liars and forgers," Abbas said.
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