A serious journalism ethical question was recently raised in the Middle East after Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram published a doctored photograph, falsely depicting President Hosni Mubarak leading the Middle East peace talks.
The photograph was first spotted by Egyptian blogger Wael Khalil who posted the doctored photo, showing Mubarak in the front and the original one that shows he was in fact walking behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II, as American president Barack Obama led the men to a media event at the White House.
In a front-page Op-Ed, Al-Ahram’s editor-in-chief Osama Saraya was shamelessly defending the fabrication, explaining the doctored photo was an “expressional” picture showing Egypt’s historic role in the peace process.
“The expressional photo is a brief, live and true expression of the prominent stance of President Hosni Mubarak on the Palestinian issue, his unique role in leading it before Washington or any other,” he wrote.
It is really shameful that such statement comes from the editor-in-chief of the newspaper himself. Mr. Saraya appears to be worried about satisfying the totalitarian regime, rather than reporting the truth.
Even if Mubarak, as Saraya claimed, is leading the efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, wasn’t it better for the paper to portray that in words and facts, rather than a fabricated photograph spotted by bloggers?
I must say I am very disappointed with how some professional journalists present the information to their people, and I’m very much impressed with the role the Egyptian bloggers are playing in working as fact-checkers and monitors to the Egyptian press!
bassamsebtiblog 