The Role of the Egyptian Media in the Coup

By: COMALI ONAL

Political unrest is deepening due to rising confrontation and brinkmanship between the coup perpetrators and the Muslim Brotherhood, the victim of the coup in Egypt. Both sides blame each other for the bloodshed.

It doesn't matter where it happens. The logic of a coup doesn't change. Coup makers always claim that they are taking power with public support and threaten bloodshed in the public interest. They always portray their opponents as terrorists who commit acts that threaten national security. They don't hesitate to bring a range of accusations against their opponents. The recent military coup in Egypt bears a strong resemblance to coups in Turkey. In both countries, the media play a similar role. Al Jazeera undoubtedly played an important role when the protests against Hosni Mubarak first started in Egypt. In stark contrast to Egypt's mainstream media, Al Jazeera did whatever it could to overthrow Mubarak. It even broadcast overblown news from time to time. This same Al Jazeera stood against the postmodern coup that unseated Mohammed Morsi. It was left alone in its opposition to the coup makers. It bore all the pressures alone. But the remaining Egyptian media committed a historical mistake. They paved the way for the coup by siding with the army. The media threw all its weight into wearing down Morsi and didn't even give the country's first democratically elected leader time to rest. He was the protagonist of all the smear campaigns. Despite the fact that Morsi was not yet accustomed to his presidential office after just one year, they hurled at him accusations of spying, treason, favoritism in appointments to public positions, undermining the country's economy and failing in foreign policy. They made fun of Morsi in their broadcasts and humiliated him in the public eye. Even illiterate people were made to believe that Morsi tried to sell the Sinai Peninsula to Hamas. Morsi was almost displayed as an ominous figure. While broadcasting every insult against Morsi, they didn't run any news siding with the president. The coup-supporting media played a significant role in getting people to take to the streets on June 30. Almost all the papers and TV channels collaborated in calling on the public to join the protests. And, interestingly, while they broadcast the protests against Morsi incessantly, they turned a blind eye to Morsi supporters and even portrayed them as terrorists. The media outlets, owned by bosses who prospered in the Mubarak era, stopped short of running campaigns for the return of the former dictator. In the coming days, they might kick off serious campaigns to this end, however. On the day of the coup, their conduct was so scandalous that they left a mark on media history. They praised army officers and hailed them as saviors. Maybe, for the first time in history, the media played the leading role in gathering protesters to praise a coup. Yes, it is undeniable that Morsi's opponents outnumbered his supporters. Coup supporters overwhelmed the streets and squares. But were the supporters of the coup aware of the fate that awaited them? Will the military return to the barracks? Whether the military backs down or not, the media won't have a problem; in the eyes of the public, the military doesn't meddle with politics. For those who are unaware of the real situation, the military retreated to the barracks after the coup and the process is currently being carried out by the interim government. But this is not reality. The ones who are running the process are the coup generals. They make all the decisions, and the interim government implements them. The reason that Turkey has reacted most strongly to the coup in Egypt can be found in the tragedies the country suffered from coups. Turkey doesn't want Egyptians to experience the same pain. A quick glance at the identity of the coup supporters will give us a clue as to whether the coup will be beneficial for the public. Add to all this what the coup adherents did to their own people and the region. By all means, the emergence of well-balanced media played a significant role in diminishing the threat of coups in Turkey. Certain media outlets in Turkey are on alert to disclose any coup attempts. But this isn't the case in Egypt. The Egyptian media speak with one voice. And the state of the Egyptian media is not good for the nation. (With thanks to Turkish English DailyTodays Zaman)