At the height of the 2011 Egyptian revolution there was hope that Egypt would emerge with increased freedom for journalists. But as the wave receded, a reconstruction of the same oppression was all that was left behind. On November 29, DW-Akademie and ARD will be hosting an expert discussion at the ARD studios in Berlin to address the power struggle on the Nile that is affecting and polarizing the Egyptian media.

There is an acute problem for journalists in Egypt. The country ranks 158 out of 179 on the Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters without Borders. Egyptian journalists are under constant threat of arrest and imprisonment. In August 2013, Al-Jazeera’s Egyptian TV station was raided and shut down by security forces under the pretense of “posing a threat to national security” and “fabricating allegations and rumors”. After the 2013 coup d’état which effectively placed the military in control of the country, the Egyptian constitution was suspended and the situation for journalists has become progressively worse.

DW has always been a global advocate for democracy and freedom of the press. By increasing awareness it can give hope to journalists in oppressive countries who are suffering just for doing their jobs. Shedding light on these issues during the discussion will be Raniah Salloum, Mideast reporter for Spiegel Online, Jürgen Stryjak a Cairo correspondent for ARD and Mazen Hassan, Germany correspondent for the Egyptian newspaper, Al-Ahram. Moderating the panel will be Jaafar Abdul-Karim, host of Shababtalk, DW’s talk show for the Arab world.