Cablegate: Egyptian Journalists Successfully Cover Lebanese

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 005245

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

NEA/PD for Finver; NEA/P; Beirut for Wurr

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO LE EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN JOURNALISTS SUCCESSFULLY COVER LEBANESE
ELECTIONS WITH POST FUNDING

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

1. (SBU) Summary: In anticipation of Egypt's
presidential and parliamentary elections later this year,
post funded the travel of seven Egyptian TV and print
journalists to cover Lebanon's June parliamentary
elections. The traveling journalists focused their
reporting on Lebanon's religious diversity, the role of
Syria in the country's affairs, and sectarian tensions.
Upon their return, all journalists spoke favorably about
the "vibrancy" of Lebanon's political scene, with a few
candidly lamenting the lack of similar political activity
among Egyptians. All journalists commented that they
looked forward to covering Egypt's elections using what
they learned in Lebanon. In addition to providing the
journalists with a professional development opportunity,
post funded their travel to meet the Mission's objectives
of promoting democratic reform and good governance in
Egypt. However, whether the returning journalists will be
able to cover Egypt's elections with the same candor and
openness that they applied in their coverage of Lebanon
will depend on their editors and existing 'red lines' in
the Egypt press. End summary.

2. (SBU) Post sponsored the travel of seven Egyptian
print and TV journalists to cover Lebanon's June
parliamentary elections. The purpose was to allow them to:

-- accurately portray to the Egyptian public high-profile
parliamentary elections taking place in a neighboring Arab
country;
-- learn more about the electoral process first-hand from
direct observation; and
-- gain valuable field experience and interact with members
of the international media present in Lebanon so that, when
the journalists returned home to Egypt, they would be
better prepared to cover their own country's elections
scheduled for this fall.

The journalists were chosen based on the quality of their
political affairs reporting and willingness to travel to
Lebanon. Sponsoring these seven journalists addressed the
Mission's objectives of promoting democratic reform and
good governance in Egypt.

3. (SBU) Nabil Rashwan, a correspondent with independent
daily Nahdet Masr (circulation: 20,000), visited Lebanon
May 28 to June 3, during the first round of elections in
Beirut, and has since published eight articles. Besides
profiling election developments, his reporting emphasized
the role of the international community in helping to make
Lebanon's elections possible and behind-the-scenes
coalition building among political parties. In a meeting
with PA officer on June 8, Rashwan related, "It was like
watching a group of shareholders voting on the future of
their company. Lebanon is like a company made up of many
shareholders none of whom have a majority stake. But
Egypt," Rashwan continued, "is like a company with just one
shareholder that resents any outside involvement because it
interferes with the 'profits.'"

4. (SBU) Khaled Salah, a leading correspondent with pro-
government weekly magazine Al-Ahram Al-Arabi (circulation:
10,000), visited Lebanon during the third round of
elections. Salah's reporting focused on the positive role
international election monitors played during Lebanon's
elections and the divisions between Lebanese religious
groups. Salah met with PA officer on June 22 and explained
his impressions of Lebanon's elections. "While I think it
was good for the Lebanese to vote," he said, "they are
still ruled by sectarian problems, and there is still
Syrian influence behind the scenes." Salah stated that
Egypt's upcoming parliamentary elections like Lebanon's
would be key to Egypt's future. "If we can have a more
open parliament after Egypt's elections, we would have more
change for reform -- like in Lebanon now, where they will
surely change laws after the elections." Of note, Salah
explained that one of the articles he wrote, critical of
Syrian involvement in Lebanon, would not be published by
Al-Ahram Al-Arabi: "The pro-government press has a red
line when it comes to Syria," he explained. "Egypt does
not criticize Syria and they do not criticize us."

5. (SBU) Mohamed Al-Noubi, a foreign affairs
correspondent with leading pro-government daily Al-Ahram
(circulation: 750,000), traveled to Lebanon during the
fourth and final round of elections. Al-Noubi was able to
arrange interviews with formerly exiled general Michel Aoun
and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Both interviews were
published in Al-Ahram's June 27 issue. Both Aoun and
Jumblatt stressed the need for strengthening Lebanon's rule
of law, ensuring security for all religious and political
groups, and abiding by the 1989 Taif agreement. Al-Noubi
reported to PA officers, "I was impressed by the vitality
of Lebanese society. The Lebanese wanted to vote! They
are involved politically! This doesn't happen in Egypt
right now," he lamented.

6. (SBU) Amel Fawzi, a reporter with the popular weekly
women's magazine Nisf Al-Dunia (circulation: 50,000),
traveled to Lebanon during the third and fourth rounds of
the elections. Fawzi printed her first story on June 26.
The article, "The Lebanese Chose Saad Al-Hariri In Spite of
Aoun," highlighted the diverse "rainbow-like" quality of
Lebanese society and the lack of tensions between Muslims
and Christians, while pointing to ongoing "political
repression" and Michel Aoun's allegations that Al-Hariri's
party bought votes to win. Fawzi published two more
interviews in the magazine's July 3 issue, one with Aoun
and another with Naila Moawad, former first lady of Lebanon
and winner of a parliamentary seat in the elections. In
her interview with Fawzi, Moawad explained her ambitions to
become the Arab world's first elected female president,
saying, "Women have few opportunities outside the family,
because this is a man's society. Still, Lebanon is the
only Arab country that can have a woman as president.
Expect to see me fighting for a nomination to become
President."

7. (SBU) A Video Cairo crew also traveled to Lebanon
during the fourth round of elections to film a documentary
about how the Arab media covered them. Video Cairo
producer Michael Shagoury reported to PA Officer that his
crew profiled reporters and producers from Iranian-funded
satellite TV channel Al-Manar and Lebanese Future and LBC
satellite TV channels, who were covering Lebanon's
elections. Shagoury's documentary - planned for release
later this summer -- will also examine how the media
influenced the success of the Lebanese elections and its
role in "building a democracy."

8. (U) One theme the journalists consistently raised with
PA officers was the diversity and vibrancy of Lebanese
society and its political scene. All noted that Egypt
lacks this level of political activity - with large
demonstrations of thousands of people (Egyptian
demonstrations usually numbering in hundreds) and campaign
fliers and billboards for candidates posted throughout
Lebanon. Several reporters acknowledged that, as
journalists, one of their main responsibilities is to
encourage greater political awareness and participation
through their coverage of elections and democratic reform
in Egypt and elsewhere.

9. (SBU) Comment: While Post's sponsorship of these
journalists was successful in ensuring balanced and largely
positive press coverage about Lebanon's elections and in
providing reporters with an opportunity for professional
development, the effects of this program on reporters'
coverage of Egypt's presidential and parliamentary
elections remain to be seen. Those reporters selected for
this program have already proven themselves as capable and
intelligent reporters. However, as Khaled Salah hinted
when he informed PA officer he could not publish anything
critical of Syria (para 4), what journalists can or cannot
report on Egypt's elections will ultimately be subjected to
the approval of their editors -- many of whom were selected
by the Mubarak government -- and the existing 'red lines'
for the press.

10. (U) Post would like to thank Embassy Beirut for its
support and advice throughout this project. The
journalists appreciated the access they were given to the
PAO. End comment.

CORBIN

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