Anderson Cooper talks to Egyptian State TV's Shahira Amin, Who's Just Resigned & Is Whistleblowing

[Turborama]

Run time: 03:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeZePzZn-iQ   Posted on YouTube: February 04, 2011 By YouTube Member: Naskeleng Views on YouTube: 1   Posted on DU: February 04, 2011 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 854

 
Longer interview on AJE here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x550303

An extraordinary thing happened today. State TV -- there's a state-run television channel which has a news program. It's called Nile TV. And one of their main anchors resigned, saying she no longer wanted to be part of this disinformation, essentially. She joins us now. Her name is Shahira Amin.

And also joining me is Heba Morayef with an organization, Human Rights Watch, which has also come under great pressure here.

Shahira, why did you -- why did you give up your job as an anchor?

SHAHIRA AMIN, FORMER NILE TV ANCHOR (via phone): Anderson, I've been with state television since 1989, and I worked with Nile TV since the very beginning.

I've been very fortunate, because the freedom ceiling at Nile TV is slightly higher than on the other Arabic channels, because we have a different target audience. Nile TV broadcasts are in English and French, so the message is directed at the more elitist, or the educated members of society, not the illiterates.

And as you know, in Egypt, where approximately 35 percent of the population is illiterate, television is one of the main sources of information.

Now, I felt that, you know, I had done sensitive stories before, controversial -- what they call controversial stories. And I've been reprimanded on several occasions by state security for "tarnishing the country's image," quote unquote.

Now, this time, there were very strict instructions that we had to follow the rules and never cross the so-called red line. And that meant that we focus on the pro-Mubarak rallies. Also, we had to read press releases from the interior ministry, which were at times questionable.

For instance, on the first day, the protests were being blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood, although it was really the young activists and the Internet users who had actually organized the protests, the 6th of April Movement, and we are all Khaled Said's group, named after the young man who was brutally beaten and killed by police in Alexandria.

So I felt very uneasy about all of this.

COOPER: Shahira, what's...

AMIN: Sorry?

COOPER: I'm sorry. What you've done is not an easy thing to do. Are you fearful of repercussions?

AMIN: I wasn't really thinking of that. All I was thinking about were the anti-regime protestors in Tahrir Square who were demonstrating peacefully, and they were making very legitimate demands, Anderson. They're calling for freedom. They're calling for social justice.

And as you know, the underlying causes of these protests are the rampant poverty and corruption, the high unemployment, the high prices of food and basic commodities. And I think that these are very legitimate demands.

And so, you know, I felt that just before these protests, there was so much apathy in Egypt, and I thought that Egypt was like a mountain that would never budge. These young activists have proven me wrong. This is a reawakening for Egyptians, and they've made us all very proud. They've done something that my generation couldn't do.

So here are the youth putting their lives on the line for the future of this country. And I just couldn't betray them by being part of the propaganda machine of the regime.

COOPER: Shakira, let me just jump in because -- I'm sorry. Sorry for the satellite delay. It's difficult. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to interrupt you.

[Gato Moteado]

1. freeptard heads will explode when they hear that!

nt

[Rhiannon12866]

2. K&R! This is an incredible story!

Here's hoping that this courageous lady is safe today and continues to speak out. The international coverage of her story can only help... Thanks for finding this and sharing it with us! :patriot: :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Kicking for Shahira Amin!

:kick: