Recently the USA’s PBS network aired a fresh interview with Egypt’s President Al-Sisi, made with host Charlie Rose to coincide with the president’s visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

On September 20^th, Egypt’s giant ERTU public broadcaster “in error” transmitted an old interview with President Al-Sisi. The error cost News Division head Mostafa Shehata his job.

ERTU’s head Safaa Hegazy ordered the dismissal as well as referring all those involved in the screening screw-up to the broadcaster’s legal affairs department.

The situation was exacerbated by strong protests on Manhattan’s streets by opposition voices to the Al-Sisi presidency, and a voluntary black-out of Al-Sisi’s speech to the General Assembly by some Muslim opposition channels which focused instead on the protestors while ignoring President Al-Sisi’s supporters outside the UN.

During Al-Sisi’s interview with Charlie Rose, he said that Egypt’s media does not accurately present the issues and does not properly reflect reality in Egypt. Media outlets in Egypt report whatever they want as there is no media restriction or dictatorship in Egypt, he said. All the Egyptian government is trying to do is reach security and stability, the president argued.

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