Egypt’s national press plays a key role in supporting development, promoting public awareness and countering misinformation at a time of rapid regional change, Chairman of the National Press Authority (NPA), Abdel Sadek El-Shorbagy,said on Sunday.
Marking World Press Freedom Day, El-Shorbagy said national media institutions are essential in shaping public understanding, reinforcing social stability and supporting values of work and development.
“The role of the national press is of especial importance given the challenges and fast-moving developments facing the Middle East,” he said in a statement.
Egypt, under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, has been working to promote peace and stability in the region, El-Shorbagy said, adding that the country’s press has a responsibility to support that effort by fostering informed public discourse and a culture of peace.
National newspapers have also played a key role in maintaining professional standards, combating false information and addressing attempts by some foreign media outlets to distort facts, he noted.
El-Shorbagy lauded the staff across state-owned press institutions for their professional commitment, saying they carried a historic national responsibility to deliver credible journalism that reflects the legacy of Egypt’s long-established media organizations.
In the meantime, the NPA is carrying on with the efforts to modernise state-owned press institutions through structural reforms, leadership development and better use of assets to improve financial sustainability, he said.
The authority is also expanding the use of advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, to improve the quality, efficiency and objectivity of journalistic content, the NPA chief noted.
Adapting to technological change and investing in human capital would be critical to ensuring that national press institutions remain capable of fulfilling their educational and developmental mission in the years ahead, El-Shorbagy said.
