Crisis Among "Journalists".. Due to the Minister of Information's Proposal Regarding "Website Entities"

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The journalistic circles in Egypt witnessed widespread controversy and a growing crisis, following the proposal by Diaa Rashwan, the Minister of State for Information, during his meeting with the editors-in-chief of news websites, to create an institutional entity to which electronic sites would join as institutions.

Rashwan cited the model of the 'Cinema Industry Chamber' that was established in the 1940s as an organizational framework for industry owners; however, the lack of a precise description of the boundaries of this entity, and the overlap of the discussion about it with the problems faced by the journalists of the sites themselves in the same meeting, created a state of widespread controversy.

As a result, the crisis erupted after the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate rejected the idea both in form and substance, condemning the establishment of any parallel union entity to the syndicate, a proposal that has been raised several times and met with a decisive rejection.

Mohamed El-Garhy, the Syndicate's deputy, submitted a memorandum to the Syndicate Council requesting that it be discussed on the agenda of the next meeting for urgent consideration.

The memorandum addressed what the minister announced with the editors-in-chief of licensed news websites, the registration conditions for union members holding executive positions, and the rules for combining two professions.

The memorandum clarified that the official statement issued by the ministry included two matters that directly pertain to the union's jurisdiction: the first is the proposal of an institutional entity that includes news websites similar to the Cinema Industry Chamber. Although the entity is explicitly limited to institutions rather than individuals, it recorded the editors-in-chief's discussions about journalists' problems, and it was covered in the press as an entity for workers, which caused widespread confusion within the journalistic community.

The second matter is a collective decision to completely ban coverage of funerals and condolences, with penalties for violators, even if the publication is on personal pages; this comes at a time when the union is facing entities impersonating its status, regarding which a complaint has been filed with the public prosecution.

The union's deputy called on the council to invite the participating union members in the meeting to a hearing and discussion session about the real problems facing their institutions, within the framework of the union as the collective home for journalists. He also demanded a clear position that calls for the application of the union law and the transfer of Diaa Rashwan to the list of non-working members for the entire duration of his appointment as Minister of Information, with the same rule applying to any member holding an executive position, while emphasizing that the union does not object to any legal framework that represents the institutional interests of the websites, but it completely rejects any entity that includes journalists or speaks on their behalf.

According to journalists confirmed to "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net", the idea of joining journalists from electronic websites to the Journalists' Union is met with rejection from a sector of its general assembly, which includes about 13,000 journalists, while others see the necessity of establishing a legal framework that organizes their work and defines the frameworks for their accountability.

The journalist Khaled El-Balshi, the head of the Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate, stated in exclusive remarks to "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net": The issue of integrating online journalists into the syndicate is not just an internal dispute, but a battle that everyone should fight to convince the general assembly that union protection should be for the workers themselves, not for the owners of institutions.

El-Balshi continued: "Egyptian law since 1936 has been comprehensive for all forms of publishing; it defined publications as including writings, drawings, images, and more. Then, the Press Regulation Law of 1996 defined a newspaper as a printed publication issued in the name of one entity and periodically, which then focused on print journalism."

The head of the journalists' syndicate pointed out that the new law recognized online journalism as a newspaper and similar in rights and obligations to printed journalism, which opens the door for the legal and organized integration of website journalists, emphasizing that institutional and financial controls - such as compliance with wages and health and social insurance for three years - are necessary to ensure the seriousness of the institutions.

El-Balshi explained that the Supreme Council for Media can be a partner in monitoring these commitments to ensure stability, stressing that the issue is not a rejection of development, but a legitimate fear of any uncalculated change, and that the syndicate will continue to work on this file to protect rights and preserve the profession from chaos.

For his part, journalist Hazem Adel, editor-in-chief of "Egypt Times" website, confirmed that the Journalists' Syndicate is the only umbrella to defend the members of the profession, describing the call to open a discussion about the inclusion of website journalists in the syndicate's records as a positive step.

Adele called on the Supreme Council for Media Regulation to re-evaluate the licensed websites, which amounted to 282 sites, to assess the actual existing sites, expecting a significant decrease in the number after the evaluation.

Adele concluded by pointing out that the demand for workers in the sites to join the syndicate has become an urgent necessity to protect them from legal accountability and suspension, expressing his agreement on establishing strict regulations to prevent non-professionals — content creators and bloggers — from infiltrating the syndicate's roster, with the need to establish a mechanism to prevent the phenomenon of selling memberships.