Confronting Hostile Media… a National Duty

Bahaa Helmy writes: on 3/4/2019

The media occupy a great place in our daily and working lives and have a great and effective influence in addressing people's minds. They come through many means and windows: the media are no longer just a newspaper, television or radio, but have gone beyond those means, and beyond reality and thought, thanks to communications technology, reaching social media, websites and other new platforms that are faster and more widespread worldwide, without any barriers or obstacles. This has created a fertile environment and a large space for spreading all kinds of news, information, rumors, claims and directed media campaigns – a reality that is nothing new – but one that some national media may not yet be able to deal with.

Egypt faces a fierce and malicious media war whose aim is to try to stir up strife and create confusion in public opinion, through many satellite channels, online platforms and others broadcasting rumors and lies.

What are called fourth-generation wars are based on using the media and rumors to penetrate and weaken societies, create confusion and incite, in order to form a public opinion hostile to the policies, institutions and achievements of the State – which is what hostile media try to count on.

The most dangerous thing we face at present is the campaigns of hostile media funded by Qatar, Turkey and the states that sponsor terrorism and harbor the leaders of the banned Brotherhood, such as Britain, which harbors extremist leaders and centers, and what is broadcast by the hired media mouthpieces of disinformation, lies and incitement, such as the B C ) B (, which seek through their policies and programs to incite, destabilize the nation and undermine national successes in economic and political reform, in caring for the well-being and development of the Egyptian people, in the aspiration to sustainable development, and in the independence of national decision-making.

Confronting media hostile to Egypt is a national duty, and everyone's commitment to it is a national responsibility under the provisions of the Constitution. It is also no less important than combating terrorism, given its negative effects and repercussions on society and national security. This is what led the United States under Obama to allocate a special budget to set up a unit under the Pentagon and the State Department to monitor, analyze and counter hostile media propaganda; the British government then set up a special operations unit to counter hostile media, work to prevent the spread of fake news against it and achieve its goals domestically and internationally.

It is true that intelligence agencies, government bodies and the various ministries are making great efforts to confront the flood of rumors, in light of the lurking hostile media drowning in the dirty money paid to them, in addition to the role of the State Information Service in confronting hostile media platforms.

However, it seems the future will reveal more hostile media campaigns, coinciding with the completion of the hardest phase of economic reform, the stability resulting from the cohesion and solidarity among all segments of the people, and Egypt's recovery of its regional and international role.

There is therefore no escape from drawing on past experiences in establishing and strengthening specialized information agencies and units with more human and material resources to bear the burden of monitoring and analyzing hostile media, assessing their size, strength and influence at home and abroad in order to confront them effectively and efficiently – alongside the efforts of the Nasser Military Academy and the specialized security institutes and their experts in raising awareness and holding seminars across the country to explain the meaning and importance of national security and immunization against rumors. May God protect Egypt and its people.