"This report looks at the blind spot of violations against journalists in Egypt, the professional environment that is made unbearable by campaigns that subject them to hate, smears and defamation. The Egyptian state is responsible for these attacks, which are carried out with star anchors and mass media acting as accomplices.

Sabrina Bennoui,

Head of RSF’s Middle East desk.

“Foreign agent,” Muslim Brotherhood advocate” and “people with bad morals” – these are just some of the dozens of vindictive and defamatory headlines that Egyptian media have published about independent journalists. Whether “traitors to the nation” or “agents of chaos” – it seems that just about any accusation can be deployed in order to undermine a journalist’s professional or personal integrity.

Compounding the press freedom violations usually evaluated and documented by RSF, such media smear campaigns are a source of dismay for the many Egyptian reporters who are their targets. They create an unbearable climate and force them to adopt a low profile because they fear they could be jailed at any time. In this report, four journalists describe the terrible consequences that such campaigns have had on their work and on their day-to-day lives, and how journalism has been made almost impossible for them.