The Washington Post editors were perhaps guilty of being crude when they wrote the Egyptian and Russian regimes are “far less adept at fighting terrorism than they are at lying” in the wake of the Sinai plane crash. However, the justification of Hassan Fayed’s angry demand for an apology from the newspaper on behalf of Egypt’s military and tourism industry was something else entirely. The Washington Post said Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are using the fight against Islamic State to “accomplish other ends, such as repressing peaceful domestic opponents and distracting attention from declining living standards”. Hence, the downing of Flight 9268 represents a blow to them and their agendas, the tragic loss of life for Russia aside. Mr Fayed concedes only that the Egyptian regime “has its flaws” and shows a “lack of respect” for human rights. He also confesses he was “surprised by the over-dramatic coverage” of a commercial jet crash. Googling ‘Malaysia Airlines flights 370 and 17’ might help. Based on one editorial Mr Fayed argues that, “Western media needs to be put in its proper place”. He points to the disastrous invasion…
