Journalism and Politics in Egypt

This week on a special edition of Babel, Will Todman speaks with Jon Alterman, the creator of Babel and the show’s host since it began in 2019. They discuss Jon’s reflections on 22 years directing the CSIS Middle East Program, his analysis of how the Middle East policy ecosystem ...  Show more

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Dr. Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Mohanad's latest paper for Carnegie investigates the rise of a new form of drug smuggling in Lebanon. Together, they discuss Hezbollah’s i ...  Show more

The release of Patrick Zaki was some rare good human rights news from Egypt. After being sentenced to three years in jail, he was then pardoned the next day by President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, and was able to return to Italy. Patrick had been hanging in legal limbo since 2020, when ...  Show more

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has been reporting on protests, wars and conflicts for more than 40 years, and he’s used his platform to highlight human rights issues at home and abroad. But despite being a proponent of "ethical journalism", he flinches at being called ...  Show more

An Egyptian court has given a 15-year sentence to an Al Jazeera journalist for interviewing an opposition leader. Why is Egypt silencing critical voices? And can its leaders be pressured into protecting press freedom? Join host Mohammed Jamjoom. Guests: Ahmed Taha - Al Jazeera pr ...  Show more

Mada Masr, an online newspaper, is one of the few Egyptian media outlets that dares to challenge the status quo amid the repressive political climate that has taken hold since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013. Heba Saleh spoke to chief editor and founder of the n ...  Show more