Egyptian Information Minister Anas al-Fiqi denied the Egyptian Government made any deals with Al-Jazeera network for less negative coverage of Sunday’s Parliamentary elections.
In a meeting with news program heads, al-Fiqi said that the Arabiya News channel was the most objective and neutral of the Arab satellite channels in covering the elections. In contrast, he described Al-Jazeera Live as “hijacked” and claimed it was working for the “interests of certain movements.”
He also expressed disappointment with the election coverage of Arab news channels that have branched from international news organizations. “It appears these channels have forgotten the professional values upon which these agencies are based and which have led to their credibility as internationally reliable sources of news.”
Al-Fiqi went on to say that his ministry respected the policies of objective media agencies and television channels that do not falsify news.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
