European Endowment for Democracy holds workshop on innovative media activism in Egypt, Syria and Morocco

June 20, 2016
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Media activism in Egypt, Syria and Morocco was the subject of a workshop organised by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) at the Global Media Forum on 14 June in Bonn.

Lina Atallah from Mada Masr, Egypt, Charif Kiwan from Abounaddara Collective, Syria and Ismail Ilsouk, from SimSim Participation Citoyenne, (EED partner in Morocco) shared their experience as media innovators in their countries.
 
In her intervention, Lina pointed out that while there is more media plurality, in reality there is less freedom. Egypt was called by the Committee to Protect Journalists “the world’s second worst jailer of journalists, second only to China”. Numerous filters are applied by the government, so that a completely distorted version of the information reaches the Egyptian reader. The hope that privatisation of TV channels would bring more media pluralism has not materialised, she noted.
 
The European Endowment for Democracy assists pro-democratic civil society organisations, movements and individual activists, acting in favour of a pluralistic multiparty system, regardless of their size or formal status. The EED also provides assistance to young leaders, independent media and journalists, provided that all the beneficiaries adhere to core democratic values and human rights as well as subscribe to principles of non-violence. Women’s rights organisations and female activists will be among the recipients of support, and gender perspective will be mainstreamed in all decisions and EED-funded actions.
 
The European Commission funds the project ‘Support to the European Endowment for Democracy’, with the aim of supporting the core functioning of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) in the European Neighbourhood as an actor to foster and encourage democratisation and deep and sustainable democracy in countries in political transition and in societies struggling for democratisation. 
 
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Countries covered:

  • Egypt
  • Morocco
  • Syria *