Independent Digital Media Is Not a Privilege Governments Can Revoke: The Fight to Save Egypt’s Mada Masr
Lina Attalah, founder and editor-in-chief of the Egyptian outlet Mada Masr, will face trial for a second time in two weeks on charges of spreading false news.
Attalah faces a new legal battle just days after being found guilty of managing an unlicensed news website. The court sentenced her to the maximum fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, forcibly removed her from the courtroom, and held her for seven hours until the payment was made. The court also ordered the closure of Mada Masr and the confiscation of all its equipment.
The trial is scheduled for November 11 and centers on the charge of spreading false news. This accusation has become a common tool for the Egyptian government to prosecute journalists, as noted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The organization argues that governments should not be the arbiters of which reporting is permissible, especially when that reporting concerns their own conduct.
Governments seeking to control the flow of information increasingly rely on a combination of legal harassment, financial pressure, criminal prosecution, and restrictions on the infrastructure that makes independent publishing possible.
Targeting Independent Voices
The Egyptian government's media licensing regime is a key mechanism for restricting independent publishing. By requiring news organizations to obtain government authorization, the state can easily control who gets to publish and whose voices reach the public. Mada Masr had repeatedly applied for a license, but their attempts went unacknowledged.
The repression has extended beyond Attalah to other independent voices. The fact-checking and open-source intelligence initiative Matsada2sh has also been targeted. Its entire six-person newsroom was violently arrested, illegally detained, and interrogated under torture before being charged with terrorism-related offenses and spreading false news. The team remains in pretrial detention.
At least 25 other journalists are currently incarcerated in Egypt, according to CPJ. The international community has expressed concern, with more than 100 organizations joining statements of solidarity with Mada Masr and Matsada2sh. However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation emphasizes that solidarity must translate into sustained political and institutional pressure.
The international governments and institutions that maintain relationships with Egypt—including those in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States—should make clear that the prosecution of journalists and the forced closure of independent media outlets are unacceptable.
A Decade of Independent Reporting
Founded in 2013, Mada Masr has spent over a decade doing journalism that authoritarian governments find threatening. The outlet documents abuses, amplifies marginalized voices, and reports on issues that powerful institutions prefer to keep hidden. Its reporting has given torture survivors and families of political prisoners a platform.
The publication has also opened space for debate on reproductive rights and brought frontline reporting from Sudan and Gaza. Despite being blocked by the Egyptian government since 2017, Mada Masr has continued to reach Egyptian and global audiences. Attalah has received numerous accolades, including the Knight International Journalism Award and a spot in TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people (2020).
As a digital-first publication, Mada Masr built an independent outlet outside the structures of legacy media. At a time when only 43% of Egyptians had access to the internet, going fully digital was a significant risk. The outlet has consistently engaged with technology and advocated for a free and independent internet for the global majority.
Global Implications for Press Freedom
The potential closure of Mada Masr should concern everyone who cares about a free press. The ability to publish independently, investigate powerful institutions, and share information without government interference is fundamental to the exercise of free expression. The outlet has made a publication that represents independent, local, grounded journalism that international audiences need.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that the cases against Attalah, Mada Masr, and Matsada2sh must be dropped. The organization calls for the release of journalists in detention and the end of Egypt's licensing regime, which has profound chilling effects on access to information and independent knowledge production.
The fight to save independent media is urgent. Governments are finding ever more ways to restrict the circulation of information, whether through internet shutdowns, platform restrictions, surveillance, or the criminalization of reporting. The result is often the same: fewer opportunities for people to understand what is happening around them and to hold power accountable.
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