Q How different is the media now compared to in Mubarak’s era?
A It’s still the same. At first there was a lot of hope, but what I see now [is that] there are more restrictions.

I find it worse because we had a revolution. Without the freedom of the media, we will never have a viable democracy.

As long as the truth is still being hidden, we still won’t be able to hold authorities accountable.

Q Do you feel there is a huge difference between state TV and satellite channels?
A State TV is the worst of the lot because they’ve been spreading propaganda and they still are […] State TV still belongs to the authorities.

Right after the revolution, there was hope, because new independent channels were being launched. We started seeing diversity and a vibrant media atmosphere that wasn’t there before.

Then they appointed a new minister of information again, which is catastrophic.

Q How do you feel about having a new minister of information again?
A It’s tragic because it can only mean tighter control. And we were hoping for an [independent] public service broadcaster at the time, TV and radio, which would represent the voice of the people.

Now it’s back to instructions from SCAF. And SCAF are summoning journalists, anytime, when there is criticism of the military council. To summon a journalist is telling them to practice self-censorship.

There were rumors that I was summoned [by SCAF], and I felt these rumors were spread on purpose either to discredit me or intimidate me. But I wasn’t.

I [also] got a threat on Facebook […] but I’d rather not say who sent it to me.

People need to know that journalists are still getting threats of defamation and are still being prosecuted.

Q Do you think that the restrictions can get any worse?
A I think yes.

It is very possible that there is going to be a lot of repression. It’s clear they still want to follow the same ways.

And even the people in media now, they have been practicing self-censorship for so long because they lived under a repressive regime, whether my colleagues or the people in other institutions. There still isn’t free media.

Q And what about the Islamist leanings in Parliament, how do you think it’ll affect media?
A I think they [the Muslim Brotherhood] are trying to modernize within and also want to look moderate to the public.

So I don’t believe there will be regression in the media, but for women’s rights there will definitely be a setback.

The problem will be the military, because they still want to have the upper hand over the Parliament, which means the military will still have control over the media.

This Parliament will have no authority. There is going to be a war between SCAF and the Muslim Brotherhood over who will have the upper hand, I believe.

Q Do you think that new media will be able to defy this?
A Yes. A whole revolution was organized on social media. The debate continues on Facebook and Twitter.

And people are seeking social media because of the repression in traditional media. People are discussing these issues freely on social media. But it’s also monitored, and the government does have access to social media and they are even punishing people on it. They’re even trying to control social media.

Q So social media will define the way journalists work?
A I don’t know how I did it before because I do incorporate a lot of the things I find on social media in my work. I can also promote my work by posting it on Facebook and Twitter.

At the same time, I follow trends and what people are interested in knowing about. Sometimes I say, if it has not been tweeted, then it’s not newsworthy. et