Famous Journalists?

Egypt - Why were the government journalists accepted into the union and independents blocked?

• The headline: Dying to join the union The link: http://www.menassat.com/?q=en/news-articles/4960-dying The story: CAIRO, October 23, 2008 (MENASSAT) – Fourteen journalists from two independent newspapers, Al-Badil and Al-Dostour, along with a female journalist from Al-Gad newspaper, have been on a hunger strike at the Egyptian journalists' syndicate since last Sunday. The journalists are threatening to keep up the hunger strike until the syndicate allows them to become members. On Monday, around a hundred journalists protested their seclusion from membership outside the syndicate headquarters, shouting out criticism of the criteria used by the membership committee, which has refused 96 journalists out of a total of 296 journalists who applied to join. The protesters suspect interference from Egypt's security services was behind the exclusion of a number of journalists from the two main opposition newspapers. When the membership committee convened last August, it had asked the applicants probing questions about their political affiliations.

• Answer:

  thanks for the information and the link. where is the freedom of joining the syndicate , which is part of the freedom every Egyptian must enjoy ? if the barred ones are guilty of something serious , they should be questioned , not barred . it's a shame .