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IRP Gatekeepers see Egypt at eventful time

Eleven senior U.S. editors and producers in the 2006 Gatekeepers trip to Egypt met with a wide variety of Egyptians during a two-week visit characterized by news-making events such as street protests and the arrests of political opponents.

The April 29 - May 12 trip was organized to give U.S. editors a glimpse into the Arab world’s most populous country at a time when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has come under growing criticism. On the final day of the visit, several of the editors witnessed Egyptian police skirmishing with demonstrators in downtown Cairo who had supported two judges charged with criticizing the fairness of Egypt’s 2005 elections won by Mubarak.

The editors met with Egypt’s prime minister, Ahmed Nazif, for a wide-ranging interview on everything from Egyptian politics, foreign policy, and terrorism to providing services such as garbage collection and education for illiterate village girls.

Gatekeepers met with one of the judges, Hisham Bastawisi, along with human rights activists such as Saad Eddin Ibrahim, the director of the Ibn Khaldun Center who had been imprisoned for several years for his pro-democracy activism. The Gatekeepers also met with Gamila Ismail, the wife of Ayman Nour, who finished a distant second to Mubarak in the 2005 elections and who is now serving a five-year prison term.

The editors also met with three leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that is officially banned but whose members, running as independent candidates, won the second largest number of seats in Egypt’s parliament. The Brotherhood has gained strength in recent years as many Egyptians have become frustrated with Mubarak’s 25 years in power.

In addition to focusing on politics, the Gatekeepers also met with leading members of Egypt’s Islamic community, including Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti of Egypt. The editors also met with students from Al-Azhar’s Shari’a college and had a spirited discussion of US and Arab perceptions of each other and of Islam. The editors also met with a leading member of Egypt’s Coptic Christian community.

Editors also met with students at Cairo University and spoke to students about U.S. media coverage of the Middle East at a forum at the American University of Cairo. The Gatekeepers also interviewed leading Egyptian journalists, novelists and filmmakers, including Hisham Kassem, CEO of the al-Masry al Youm newspaper; Alaa al-Aswany, author of the best-selling novel, The Yacoubian Building; and movie directors Yusri Nasrallah and Inas al-Deghedi.

The Gatekeepers also met with “ordinary” Egyptians to learn about the needs of most of the country’s 73 million citizens. Editors had small, private dinners at the Cairo homes of working-class Egyptians one night. The Gatekeepers also visited an industrial area in Kafr el-Elew to examine some of the problems with pollution and garbage disposal.

One of the most memorable visits was a trip to the rural province of Beni Suef, where officials of Save the Children Egypt showed editors a school and an educational center for rural girls, most of whom are illiterate. Gatekeepers sat in on classes and discussed the issue of education with teachers and parents of the girls.

The Gatekeepers also met with Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt’s antiquities department, who briefed them on new discoveries and initiatives in efforts to preserve the country’s Pharaonic monuments. The editors also spent a day in Luxor for a “behind-the-scenes” tour of the archeological sites there.

Editors said the trip opened their eyes to many issues, not just in Egypt, but also in the wider context of the Middle East. “The trip was immensely valuable,” said Eric Ringham, commentary page editor of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. “I feel that I’m on my way toward understanding the basic forces driving change in Egypt and the Middle East, and part of the way toward understanding the role of Islam.”

Andrew Sussman, producer of “The World,” the Public Radio International/BBC co-production, said the trip provided him with immediate stories for broadcast and for resources for future stories. “I already have a long list of people I would like our host to interview. Many of these people will really enrich our coverage of the Arab world."

Organizations and individuals who participated in the trip were:

Bruce Auster, senior supervising editor, “Morning Edition,” NPR
Jack Epstein, foreign service editor, San Francisco Chronicle
Rosemary Goudreau, editorial page editor, Tampa Tribune
Kathleen Ingley, editorial writer/assistant editor, Arizona Republic
Darryl Levings, national editor, Kansas City Star
Tina Pania, assistant international editor, Dallas Morning News
Tim Poor, national/foreign editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Eric Ringham, commentary editor, Star Tribune, Minneapolis
Andrew Sussman, senior program producer, “The World,” PRI/BBC
Michael Tackett, Washington bureau chief, Chicago Tribune
Thomas Watkins, news editor, CNN

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