Journalists Syndicate Refers Members Over Mortada Mansour Event

Egypt’s Journalists Syndicate Council has referred members to investigation over their coverage and broadcast of a press conference held by lawyer Mortada Mansour that the council said included insults, defamation and attacks on personal honour.

The council said journalists who transmitted material from the conference had violated the press code, publishing regulations and professional ethics. It also referred editors-in-chief of websites that sent non-syndicate trainees to cover the event for investigation.

In response to the coverage, the syndicate called on journalists to completely avoid conferences that delve into private lives or violate privacy, boycott individuals who use such rhetoric and deny them media space. It also urged outlets not to publish details concerning the private lives of parties to ongoing court cases or identify them during the accusation stage.

The council reiterated that journalists should avoid publishing defendants’ names, photographs or identifying details where doing so could harm children or families, and should not present accusations as established facts before they have been investigated. It also called for an absolute rejection of material that incites against women or contains discrimination, stigmatisation or rhetoric harmful to women or other groups in society.

The syndicate said it had received several complaints concerning coverage of Mansour’s conference and invited anyone affected by violations, or anyone who identified breaches of the press code, to submit complaints for investigation. It added that it would coordinate with relevant authorities on legal measures against people who allegedly impersonated journalists while participating in the coverage.