In a moment of euphoria on March 17, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate elected independent journalist Khaled El-Balshy chairman of the organization. After a heated election race against the chief editor of a state-owned newspaper, El-Balshy’s victory presents an opportune moment to reconsider the realities of Egyptian journalists and journalism today.
For almost 10 years now, the international community has largely viewed Egyptian journalism within the context of low press freedom index rankings, jailed and intimidated journalists, government censorship, media capture, and blocked independent websites. These are harsh realities, but the narrative of Egyptian journalists—and journalism—is not fully contained within this framing. El-Balshy’s victory demonstrates that increasingly, the fight for better working conditions for journalists is tied to the fight for press freedom in Egypt.