Alexandria’s history is rife with local journalism. Today, however, most of these newspapers have since closed while others have gone online to save money.
The first local paper– Alexandria’s Commercial Magazine – was released in 1946 by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce (ACC). The monthly magazine was printed in black and white in the Thagher Printing house and had a distinguished cover featuring the ACC headquarters.
Alexandria’s history is rife with local journalism. Today, however, most of these newspapers have since closed while others have gone online to save money.
The first local paper– Alexandria’s Commercial Magazine – was released in 1946 by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce (ACC). The monthly magazine was printed in black and white in the Thagher Printing house and had a distinguished cover featuring the ACC headquarters.
In 1969, the Bank of Alexandria issued a quarterly called Economic Bulletin, which published the bank’s news of transactions, deposits and accounts. In 1970, the Alexandria Sporting Club issued the Sporting sports daily. And in 1975, the Service Association for Alexandria Radio Employees issued the Huna Alexandria monthly, which covered all the news and activities of Alexandrian society.
New start
In 1982, the Alexandria Association of Journalists and Authors (AAJA) in issued two newspapers concerned with Alexandrian society and citizens’ problems: Alexandria Jadida daily and Akhbar Alexandria magazine. However, they were both closed in 1987 due to financial crises.
In the same year, the Al-Ettihad Alexandrian Club issued the Al-Ettihad Alexandrian sports daily which lasted for over six years.
In 1986, the Alexandria Local Public Council issued the Free Opinion: Alexandria’s Voice daily, which highlighted the problems and crises of citizens and slums and suggested solutions. It was discontinued in 1990 due to a lack of sufficient financial support.
In 1995, the AAJA issued a local newspaper named after it. Its editor-in-chief was AAJA head Muneer Mseeri and it acted as a platform for journalists who have something to say to Alexandria’s readers. The newspaper however was discontinued in 1997 due no financial support. In 2014, it was turned into an online edition.
Al Youm
The real starting point for independent local journalism was the establishment of the Alexandria Al-Youm weekly on May 2, 1998, by Ali Bassyouni, a journalist working at Al-Ahram newspaper at the time. Alexandria Al-Youm covered the entire news of the governorate and contributed generations of professional journalists.
“I was passionate about free, authentic journalism,” says Bassyouni, Chairman of Alexandria Al-Youm. “I therefore decided to establish a local newspaper to voice citizens’ concerns. At the time, scores of journalists were keen on learning and practicing this profession. They are now major stars in this domain. Alexandria Al-Youm acted as an academy which graduated generations of talented journalists. It included 184 journalists and used to be issued on Mondays. It proved popular among officials, leaders and citizens.”
Bassyouni argues that the newspaper’s success added a lot to all the journalists who ever worked at it and moved on to join other newspapers including Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar and Al-Wafd, stressing that it taught journalists how to work respectfully and professionally without resorting to blackmail, copying, flattering or exaggeration. As a result, says Bassyouni, it gained the respect of Alexandria’s readers.
New experiences
In early 2000, political parties began to be involved in local journalism. Revolutionary struggler Abu Al-Ezz Hariri, a leader of the National Progressive Unionist Party, issued the Tagammu weekly. It depended on the advertisements Hariri secured from companies, ministries and donations. When financial support stopped five years later, the newspaper was closed.
In 2003, the Monufia People Association in Alexandria issued the Monufia Voice magazine, which covered the news of the Monufia people residing in Alexandria. The weekly was discontinued three years later for a lack of financial support too.
In early 2010, each of the Al-Shorouk daily and the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper launched a special local supplement on Alexandria. The first was called Al-Shorouk: Alexandria’s Edition and the second was Alexandria Al-Youm. The two supplements proved very popular. However, they were discontinued two years later and the nearly 50 journalists working in them lost their jobs and did not get any rights or financial compensation.
Shaimaa Atef, a former editor of the Alexandria Al-Youm, says she was very happy when she joined the supplement in 2011, especially since it was a local edition and a channel for conveying citizens’ problems to the governor and other officials. “My colleagues and I were betrayed by Al-Masry Al-Youm,” she says. “It defamed us and announced that we were unqualified as journalists. So, we filed a case against it four years ago and the case has not yet been decided.”
Director of the Al-Ahali Newspaper’s Office in Alexandria Ahmed Salamah says these two supplements were issued as part of a European Union’s grant to support local journalism and when it was over, they were discontinued and the journalists were sacked. No employment contracts were concluded, says Salamah, and the journalists filed many suits against the two newspapers due to arbitrary sacking. The court ruled that amounts of L.E. 10,000, at best, should be paid.
Sycophantic journalism
Bassyouni underscores that the unprecedented success of Alexandria Al-Youm made others jealous and encouraged them to copy the experience of his newspaper whose fame exceeded that of Al-Ahram due to its closeness to Alexandria’s citizens and focusing on their problems. Around 12 local newspapers were issued in Alexandria and they got licenses from Cyprus and London including Alexandria, Alexandria and the World, Alexandria News and others. However, says Bassyouni, they did not last because they were mere distorted copies of his newspaper’s success and their sole aim was to become close to the authority. “Sycophantic journalism often fails since it is neither professional nor neutral and it lacks the interesting content that attracts readers,” he explains.
Problems
Amira Fathi, a journalist at Al-Wafd newspaper and editor-in-chief of Balad online newspaper, says she learnt everything about journalism at Alexandria Al-Youm starting from 1999 and then went on to work at major newspapers. It acted as an academy to teach and graduate journalists. “At the time, we did not get paid,” she says. “Our aim was to serve citizens and produce respectable and professional journalism.”
Fathi maintains that major problems they face during work include high cost of printing, ink, paper and all the other needed raw materials; a lack of advertisement and financial support; and absence of circulation and marketing which are major elements to the success and sustainability of local newspapers.
These problems, says Fathi, led eventually to the closure of all local printed newspapers in Alexandria in favor for online editions which became the savior for closed local newspapers. She stresses that her experience in online journalism is very good and she has become very popular in a short period since it is easy, cheap and readily available to people.
General tendency
“I discontinued Alexandria Al-Youm in 2014 and turned it into an online newspaper because the Internet became the readers’ favorite means and it is cheap and highly interactive,” says Bassyouni. “Printed journalism is like old shops, while online journalism is the entire future.”
He points out that local journalism was once popular, citing that 134 defamation suits were filed against his newspapers due to its popularity. However, the general tendency now is news websites where all of Alexandria’s local printed newspapers have stopped.
