Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued a decree on Monday restructuring three key media regulatory bodies: the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), the National Press Authority (NPA), and the National Media Authority (NMA). The SCMR will be led by the former Youth and Sports Minister Khaled Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and will include Abdel Salam Abdel Majeed, the Vice President of the State Council, and Mahmoud Ahmed Mumtaz, the head of the Egyptian Competition Authority. Other members include representatives from the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, as well as experienced figures from the media and journalism fields. In addition to the Supreme Council, the National Media Authority will be headed by journalist Ahmed El-Maslamani and will focus on overseeing media practices for a four-year term. The National Press Authority, under the leadership of Abdel Sadek El-Shorbagy, will also serve for four years and will be responsible for regulating the national press. The decree establishes a four-year term for all media entities, which will operate under Egypt’s 2014 constitution, regulating television, radio, print, and online media. Experts believe the recent changes in Egypt’s media oversight bodies were primarily aimed at maintaining stability…
