Comeback Kid

Cairo Magazine has an interview with controversial editor Ibrahim Eissa.

The difference betweent the old and new al-Dustour:

In 1995, we had only one colleague who knew how to navigate the web, and we used to say “Wow!” and look at him like he was a space alien.

The real reasons behind the suspension of al-Dustour in 1998:

I believe there were 120 reasons, 119 of which we know nothing about.

...we never eulogized Mubarak and ... we urged other papers to do the same. We released 116 editions in the first era, none of which contained Mubarak’s photo on the first page. Nor did we congratulate him on any occasion.

The current state of the Egyptian press:

The Egyptian press is gradually collapsing. It’s like a person putting a barrel in his mouth. It’s still confining itself within the boundaries of what officials say. Due to the lack of sources, it doesn’t depend on accurate data or provide informative articles. So papers turn into producers of official statements and fake news. Many journalists have turned into salespeople, just selling ads. Most opposition party papers are like political newsletters.

The future:

The Egyptian people have been hiding their true feelings toward the pharaoh for 7,000 years. There is a space of awareness that’s opened lately. But I’m still not that optimistic. What has been steadily ruined over the past 52 years can’t be fixed in a year or two.

Link. h/t: Abu Aardvark