Crime & JusticeBreaking
Egyptian court orders news site Mada Masr closed and editor detained
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).
3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Democracy Now!, the Financial Times and BBC News report that a court in Cairo ordered the independent Egyptian news site Mada Masr closed. The court also convicted its editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, of managing an unlicensed website and ordered her held until she pays a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, about $53,500, according to the BBC and Democracy Now!. Her lawyers say she was taken into custody, and she had rejected the charge. Amnesty International called the verdict “a crushing blow to press freedom.” The Financial Times reports that civil society groups have criticized the move. The case follows the arrest of journalists at the fact-checking outlet Matsadaash.
Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works
What happened
Key points
Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.
A Cairo court ordered the independent news site Mada Masr closed.
Reported byFar Left1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Democracy Now!
- Center
- Financial Times, BBC News
The court convicted editor-in-chief Lina Attalah of managing an unlicensed website.
Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Democracy Now!
- Center
- BBC News
Attalah was taken into custody and will be held until she pays a fine of 3 million Egyptian pounds, about $53,500.
Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Democracy Now!
- Center
- BBC News
Amnesty International said the verdict was “a crushing blow to press freedom.”
One outletBBC News· Center
Civil society groups criticized the closure order.
One outletFinancial Times· Center
Journalists at the fact-checking outlet Matsadaash were arrested weeks earlier, and Egyptian authorities reportedly charged six of them with belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Reported byFar Left1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
- Far Left
- Democracy Now!
- Center
- BBC News
How each side tells it
Compare views
Every outlet reports that a Cairo court ordered Mada Masr shut and its editor Lina Attalah held until she pays a fine. Democracy Now calls it a dark day for journalism and stresses arrests of other journalists; the center outlets report the court action plainly and add rights groups’ objections.
the left
1 outlet
Headline calls the closure a “Dark Day for Journalism”, casting it as a press-freedom loss centered on the editor’s detention.
"Dark Day for Journalism": Egypt Shutters Independent News Site Mada Masr, Detains Editor
Democracy Now!Far LeftAll left-leaning headlines the center
2 outlets
Headlines state the court closure and Attalah’s detention plainly, with the Financial Times calling Mada Masr one of Egypt’s last independent outlets.
Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site's closure
BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines the right
No coverage yet
No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
The words they chose
Language to notice
Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.
Left0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Center1
decry
Right
Has not covered this story.
In the outlets’ own words
Loaded verb
decryMore neutral: criticize
The verb signals strong disapproval where a neutral report of criticism would do.
Civil society groups decry move against Mada Masr and editor-in-chief Lina Atallah
Used byFinancial Times (Center)
Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words
Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.
Sensational language
Quotedcrushing blowMore neutral: serious setback for press freedom
The metaphor is a strong evaluative judgement, here attributed to an advocacy group.
The human rights group Amnesty International said the verdict represented "a crushing blow to press freedom".
Quoted byBBC News (Center)
These are Amnesty International’s words. The outlets are reporting them.
See for yourself
Side by side
What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.
From the left
1 outletLeads with
- press freedom loss
- editor’s detention
- wider arrests of journalists
Leaves out
- Muslim Brotherhood membership charges against journalists
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
- Democracy Now!Far Left
"Dark Day for Journalism": Egypt Shutters Independent News Site Mada Masr, Detains Editor
A court in Cairo has ordered the closure of the independent Egyptian news site Mada Masr . The court also ordered the site’s editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, to be detained until she pays a fine of over $50,000. She was convicted on charges of managing an unlicensed website. …
From the center
2 outletsLeads with
- court closure order
- detention until fine is paid
- objections from rights groups
Leaves out
- that Matsadaash journalists remain behind bars
Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
- BBC NewsCenter
Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah detained after court orders news site's closure
Amnesty International said the verdict against Attalah and independent outlet Mada Masr represented "a crushing blow to press freedom".
- Financial TimesCenter
Egypt shuts down one of the country’s last independent news outlets
Civil society groups Loaded verb“decry”The verb signals strong disapproval where a neutral report of criticism would do.More neutral: criticizeDisagree with this highlight? move against Mada Masr and editor-in-chief Lina Atallah
From the right
0 outletsNo right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?
The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.
Who reported it when
How the coverage built up
Left
First to report
Democracy Now!, Oct 27, 8:51 AM EDT
Center
1 hr 20 min later
Its first report, Oct 27, 10:11 AM EDT
Right
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Democracy Now!Far LeftOct 27, 8:51 AM EDT
- Financial TimesCenterOct 27, 10:11 AM EDT
- BBC NewsCenterOct 27, 12:11 PM EDT
Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.
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