- JEDDAH: Egyptians living in Saudi Arabia said they have been following the historic events unfolding back home through non-Egyptian media because they feel the news coming from the country's state-owned and private channels are not as forthcoming about what is happening.
“For example, Al-Gomhouriya newspaper reported there were only 100 protesters in Tanta, 10 in Damanhour and 200 in Alexandria," said Ashraf Ahmed Ameen, who works for a medical company in Jeddah. "Actually, thousands had taken part in demonstrations in these cities."
Egyptian media, he added, seem to have forgotten that Egyptians abroad have other options for obtaining accurate information.
Dr. Sami Yasser, working at a local clinic, said he's tuning in to Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, BBC and CNN to catch up on developments in Cairo.
“People have lost confidence in official Egyptian media,” said Ezzat Abulmajd, an engineer working for a local contractor.
Yasser Abdul Aziz, a media analyst, said Egypt's primary media outlets clearly support President Hosni Mubarak. “This has created a big gap between the official media and Egyptian people,” he added.
On Wednesday, Nile TV journalist Shahira Amin resigned in protest at what she called a pro-Mubarak bias on her network. “I resigned because it (Nile TV) is being used as a propaganda machine,” she told Al Jazeera.
Jamal Hamam, a journalist working for the Saudi newspaper Okaz, said official Egyptian media need to evaluate editorial policy with regard to the events unfolding on the streets of Cairo. “They have to change this approach altogether in order to win the confidence of the Egyptian people,” he said.
