Syndicates of Journalists, Artists to discuss regulating press coverage of funerals

CAIRO - 23 April 2024: Egyptian Journalists Syndicate will hold an urgent meeting Wednesday with the Syndicate, of Artists at the Journalists Syndicate headquarters, to set rules regulating the press coverage of funerals that are held for deceased artists. 

 

The meeting will be attended by members of the two syndicates’ councils and the executive office of the Photojournalists Division, to discuss the rules and mechanisms necessary to organize the press coverage. 

 

The Journalists Syndicate announced contacting Dr. Ashraf Zaki, the head of the Egyptian Acting Professions Syndicate, and deciding to hold an urgent meeting on Wednesday. This move comes as a result of the discontent among public figures towards the behaviour of photographers, journalists and persons claiming to be media practitioners while their coverage of funerals of famous artists.

 

Unfortunate events have recurred during funerals of deceases artists, where persons claimed to be affiliated with news websites annoy artists attending the funerals, surround them in a way to pressure them to make statements to the cameras at this sensitive time. 

 

 

 

 

The latest of these events took place during the funeral of the famous Artist Salah el-Saadani, who died this week at the age of 80 years old. His son Actor Ahmed el-Saadani, and other artists attending the funeral were annoyed by the attitude of the camera men and media personnel trying to stop them to get press statements during this sensitive time. 

 

The two syndicates decided that these recurring unprofessional behaviour require rapid and decisive intervention to be resolved and set rules regarding the press coverage of funerals. 

 

The Journalists Syndicate called for stopping coverage of funerals, until rules are put in place to regulate the press coverage and follow-up of any event of this kind, to protect the privacy of the personal lives of citizens, and to preserve the dignity and prestige of journalists.

 

The union stressed its respect for the feelings of the families and friends of the deceased from all fields, stressing that covering funerals is a journalistic work that documents an event of interest to the public, and archives moments that may have importance in the future.