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Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah faces retrial on charges over Mada Masr

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Mada Masr, faces a retrial on charges of publishing false news. The BBC reports that a Cairo criminal court postponed the opening hearing on Wednesday until November 18 after her lawyers requested a new judge. France 24 reports that the UN criticised Egypt’s “widening assaults on press freedom.” Democracy Now! reports that Attalah was convicted of running an unlicensed website and that a judge ordered the outlet shut. Attalah told the Associated Press that silencing journalists will not stop disinformation.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, faces a potential prison sentence.

    Reported byFar Left1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Democracy Now!
    Center
    BBC News, France 24
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. Attalah’s retrial opening hearing was postponed until November 18 after her lawyers requested a new judge.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  3. Attalah was convicted of running an unlicensed website, and a court ordered Mada Masr shut down.

    Reported byFar Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Democracy Now!
    Center
    BBC News
    Right
    The Washington Times

  4. The UN criticised Egypt’s “widening assaults on press freedom.”

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    BBC News, France 24

  5. Attalah said silencing journalists will not stop disinformation.

    One outletThe Washington Times· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that Lina Attalah faces a retrial on charges including publishing false news. The main difference is emphasis: center outlets stress the adjourned hearing and UN criticism, Democracy Now! a wider crackdown, and the Washington Times Attalah’s own defence.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Democracy Now! frames the case as a wider crackdown on independent media, leading with the shutdown order and quoting the phrase “A Crackdown on All Independent Voices” in its headline.

    "A Crackdown on All Independent Voices": Egypt Shutters News Outlets, Prosecutes Editor Lina Attalah
    Democracy Now!Far LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    BBC and France 24 headlines center on the courtroom process and international criticism: the BBC on the adjourned retrial and UN warning, France 24 on prison risk and outcry.

    Egyptian journalist's retrial adjourned as UN warns of 'assaults on press freedom'
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side coverage is an AP report carried by The Washington Times, whose headline leads with Attalah’s own words and frames the case around silencing journalists.

    'We are not the problem,' editor of news outlet that Egyptian court ordered to close tells AP
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

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.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 4 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

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 outlet

Leads with

  • broad crackdown on independent media
  • outlet shutdown and fine
  • prosecution of the editor

Leaves out

  • postponement of the retrial to November 18
  • Attalah’s years-long attempt to obtain a licence

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • Democracy Now!Far Left

    "A Crackdown on All Independent Voices": Egypt Shutters News Outlets, Prosecutes Editor Lina Attalah

    Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Egypt’s leading independent news outlet Mada Masr , faces a criminal trial this week on charges of “spreading false information,” just two weeks after being convicted of operating an unlicensed website and fined more than $50,000. …

    Read at Democracy Now! (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • UN criticism of press freedom
  • adjournment of the retrial
  • potential prison sentence
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Egyptian journalist's retrial adjourned as UN warns of 'assaults on press freedom'

    Mada Masr editor-in-chief Lina Attalah is being tried on the charge of "publishing false news" and potentially faces imprisonment.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • France 24Center

    Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah faces prison as trial sparks international outcry

    Egyptian journalist Lina Attalah, head of independent news outlet Mada Masr, faces a criminal court retrial Wednesday over charges of operating without a licence and publishing false news. The UN criticised Egypt’s “widening assaults on press freedom” Tuesday. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Attalah’s own defence
  • court-ordered closure
  • potential prison sentence

Leaves out

  • UN warning over press freedom
  • conviction for the unlicensed website and the fine

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRightAssociated Press report

    'We are not the problem,' editor of news outlet that Egyptian court ordered to close tells AP

    Facing a potential prison sentence and the court-ordered closure of the news site she co-founded, the editor-in-chief of one of Egypt's last independent media outlets said silencing journalists is not the answer and will only allow disinformation to flourish.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, 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!, Nov 9, 8:44 AM EST

  • Center

    1 day 12 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 8:53 PM EST

  • Right

    1 day 2 hr later

    Its first report, Nov 10, 11:37 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Democracy Now!Far LeftNov 9, 8:44 AM EST
  2. The Washington TimesRightNov 10, 11:37 AM EST
  3. France 24CenterNov 10, 8:53 PM EST
  4. BBC NewsCenterNov 11, 7:32 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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