Egyptian papers pledge to support govt in anti-terror fight

The bosses of several leading Egyptian newspapers pledged on Sunday to support the government in its “extensive war” against terrorism, following a surge in deadly attacks by Islamist militants against security forces.

A statement issued Sunday by the editors-in-chief of both state and privately-owned papers condemned terrorism, holding the Muslim Brotherhood responsible, and voiced their support of the government’s anti-terror measures.

“The attendees commit not to publishing any statements that support terrorism and commit to objectively dealing with the Brotherhood’s protests and to not exaggerate them,” Mustapha Bakri, editor-in-chief of el-Osboa newspaper, said during the meeting.

The statement comes a day after the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) and the chamber of audio-visual media industry issued a similar declaration.

But the statements have sparked fears that self-censorship may direct the content of Egyptian dailies and news bulletins.

“It’s inaccurate that there’s self-censorship,” said Khaled Saleh, editor-in-chief of Youm7.com. “We are committed to a patriotic project which the people expect from us. The people expect us to carry out a role that raises awareness and mobilizes them behind a national project.”

“We will not allow slogans which may be infiltrated by [certain] concepts that undermine our march, and we won’t be deceived by any of these slogans,” Saleh added.