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
In America, signing up for an online blog is free. But in Egypt, bloggers must pay for their words in censorship, government control and threats to their personal safety. For Wael Abbas and Ahmed Elderiny, the cost doesn't matter. They still fight for a more politically active Egyptian citizenry.
The two bloggers visited Syracuse University last week as part of a year-long project to improve journalism in Egypt and other Arabic regions of the world.
"Blogging the Election," organized by the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo, sends eight Egyptian bloggers to the U.S. for three weeks in September, and again at the end of October, to blog about the 2008 presidential election.
Along with visiting online news organizations like time.com, WashingtonPost.com and HuffingtonPost.com, the bloggers spend a week at some of the top journalism schools in the United States including: SU's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Texas' College of Communication and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
"We are not trying to make them into journalists," said Lawrence Pintak, director of the Kamal Adham Center, explaining that bloggers are encouraged to express their opinions. "But we are trying to help them improve their craft."
The bloggers were chosen by the Kamal Adham Center based on their expressed interest in improving their journalism skills and experience in blogging on politics and society.
"The fact that several of the bloggers involved in the project blog anonymously is a reflection of the oppressed state of media in Egypt today," Pintak said.
Egypt has been under emergency law since 1981 when Hosni Mubarak became president. Since then, the country has been under strict regime that bans many democratic principles like the right to assemble.
The two bloggers visited Syracuse University last week as part of a year-long project to improve journalism in Egypt and other Arabic regions of the world.
"Blogging the Election," organized by the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo, sends eight Egyptian bloggers to the U.S. for three weeks in September, and again at the end of October, to blog about the 2008 presidential election.
Along with visiting online news organizations like time.com, WashingtonPost.com and HuffingtonPost.com, the bloggers spend a week at some of the top journalism schools in the United States including: SU's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Texas' College of Communication and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
"We are not trying to make them into journalists," said Lawrence Pintak, director of the Kamal Adham Center, explaining that bloggers are encouraged to express their opinions. "But we are trying to help them improve their craft."
The bloggers were chosen by the Kamal Adham Center based on their expressed interest in improving their journalism skills and experience in blogging on politics and society.
"The fact that several of the bloggers involved in the project blog anonymously is a reflection of the oppressed state of media in Egypt today," Pintak said.
Egypt has been under emergency law since 1981 when Hosni Mubarak became president. Since then, the country has been under strict regime that bans many democratic principles like the right to assemble.
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