EGYPT: Al Jazeera officials vow to continue despite shutdown
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Officials at Arab satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera have proclaimed their “utter disappointment†with the Egyptian government’s shutdown of their Cairo bureau and vowed to continue their reporting.
In a Sunday statement, officials at the Qatar-based network described the Cairo shutdown as ‘a further attempt to hinder and obstruct’ reporting on opposition protests and a reaction to how widely its coverage has been watched. Al Jazeera officials said they have more reporters on the ground across Egypt than any other network.
Al Jazeera’s Cairo bureau was closed Sunday, its Nilesat signal blocked by the Egyptian government in what network officials called ‘an attempt to stifle and obstruct freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists.’ Officials said they were exploring legal remedies that would allow them to reopen.
“Regardless of the multiple attempts by the Egyptian authorities to deter and impede our reporting, Al Jazeera continues its comprehensive coverage of the landmark events unfolding in Egypt,†said Wadah Khanfar, the network’s director general.
Earlier in the day, Khanfar told his staff not to be disheartened by the shutdown.
“This news should not be met with disappointment,’ he said, ‘but instead be used as fuel for further impetus, galvanizing our courageous network to continue to best tell the story of the changing face of Egyptian politics.’
“Under very trying circumstances we have delivered the highest standard of reporting from Egypt which has gripped our growing global audience’ he continued. ‘Even in such a short space of time, we can be proud of our achievements, level of professionalism and sophistication in covering the significant developments in Egypt.â€
RELATED:
Mubarak meets with military as opposition leader joins protesters
Unrest in Egypt creating gas shortage in neighboring Arab enclave
Egyptian antiquities damaged by vandals; collapse of neighboring building feared
-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske