An ancient Greek myth tells us that when Pandora opened the box, all the world’s evils were unleashed as punishment from Zeus upon humanity. Even the hope left inside was seen by some as a cruel trick—an illusion for humanity to cling to, offering no real defense against the harsh realities of life.
In this light, the proposal put forth by a Minister of State for Media in 2025 feels like something sprung from that same box—a naive summons from the past for conditions that are now impossible to reinstate.
This proposal reveals an ignorance of the current media landscape, serving as a deep dive into deceptive hope – an escape from a reality that urgently needs reform.
Instead, this proposal serves as a complete abandonment, based on a superficial reading that attempts to resurrect circumstances utterly irrelevant to the present media environment, its players, and its future.
Some past-focused ideas are akin to those evils released from Pandora’s box, because they are incapable of comprehending the present state of things.
They will inevitably bring forth a zero-sum scenario, which some mistake for a solution based on centralism. This centralist mindset insists on concentration and control in every aspect, even if time has long surpassed it, and those old ideas are no longer fit to manage the current environment or regulate its affairs.
How can we introduce a Minister of Media in the context of a complex present, already dominated by three governing bodies and a massive media group controlling the lion’s share of the market?
What would the role of this minister be? Would he be a spokesperson for the State or a guide for the media market?
These are ideas that only serve to increase the complexity of the scene and re-establish a past that is gone and cannot be resurrected from the grave or recharged from the underworld.
We know that the three existing bodies cannot fully execute all the roles assigned to them by the Constitution due to unfavorable political contexts, economic pressures, and ownership patterns.
A Minister of Media will not solve this.
The solution lies in implementing the Constitution and freeing these bodies from the constraints that shackle their ability to perform their duties and activate their functions—moving toward managing solutions, rather than just managing the “media poverty.”
The return of a Minister of Media means “prolonging media agonies.”
We can not overcome these agonies except by extending the umbrella of freedom over the media environment, establishing genuine competition free of monopolies or dominance, embracing technology under professional journalistic conditions, and purifying the craft from the impurities of time and the misfortunes caused by delaying media reform.
The answer is freedom and liberalization, not standing in front of a mirror and reciting incantations to summon a likeness of Safwat al-Sherif once more.
Respecting the Constitution is the mark of true reformers; those who disregard it are amateurs seeking the easy fix—an attempt to revert to an old way that the world has since moved past.
We live in an era where media, despite its centrality, no longer shapes public opinion alone; there are other narratives circulating on social media platforms.
Media institutions no longer hold a monopoly on the public narrative; others now participate alongside them.
Must we regress simply because there is traditional thinking that ignores modern formulas, industry evolution, and technological change?
This proposal for a Minister of State is akin to creating a new “media guide” without purpose or logic.
They believe he will be the commander of a minesweeper, when in reality, he will be a messenger dispatched from a tuk-tuk stand in an old suburb.
Author’s bio:
Alaa Al-Ghadrify has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper since October 2023, and the Executive Editor-in-Chief at ONA Media Group since 2016.
He is also an opinion writer in Al-Watan newspaper and Masrawy website, and an advisor at the Egypt Media Forum.
He further serves as a lecturer in television journalism and in-depth journalism for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University.
He worked as Editor-in-Chief of CBC Extra channel, which he founded, as former Managing-Editor of Al Watan newspaper, and former Executive Editor-in-Chief of its website.
He also co-founded the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, the Al Watan newspaper, and the Al Ashera Masaan program on Dream TV channel, and was the Head of Program Editing at Alhurra channel.
