CAIRO: The death of Magdy Mehana, esteemed journalist and presenter, was met with grief by the Egyptian public last Saturday. He was, in the words of one young Egyptian journalist, a man on whom “no two people differed.
Admired by his colleagues and loved by his readers, Mehana’s death marks the end of an era considered by many to be the first blossoming of a free Egyptian press and the independent Egyptian journalist.
“I knew people who bought Al-Masry Al-Youm everyday just to read his column, Mohamed El-Sayed Saleh, editor of Al-Masry Al-Youm’s news desk, told Daily News Egypt.
Mehana’s daily column, titled “Fi Al-Mamnou , discussing issues that are usually considered forbidden territory, has been a daily staple of Egyptian readers for over five years.
Discussing pertinent and topical issues, Mehana took deft and assertive swipes at corruption, government policy, torture and political nepotism. However, such was his professionalism that even those whom he criticized could but respect him.
“He was never aggressive, continued Saleh. “Although it’s quite common here when journalists want to condemn the government they do so aggressively, Magdy never would, although he did not shy away from asking sharp, assertive questions. He held the respect of people in high political positions, including Fathi Sorour [head of the People’s Assembly] Gamal Mubarak and Safwat Al-Sherif, [head of the Shoura council].
“He gave people the chance to respond to his articles, especially if they criticized him. Sometimes these dialogues – published in complete form in the newspaper – would go on for days. It was a new type of journalism in itself.
“When he wanted to refer to another article, whether it was to criticize, praise, or even just to refer, he would always quote referring to both the newspaper and the writer of the article. This style was unheard of in Egypt, but it became a school of journalism.
Mehana, born in Duqahleya, began his career as a journalist at Rose Al-Youssef magazine, then an independent. However, as the stance of Rose Al-Youssef began to change, aligning itself towards government policy, Mehana made his escape.
He headed towards the liberal opposition paper Al-Wafd, where he was soon appointed co-editor in chief with Abbas Tarabili. Yet that relationship was not to last. Mehana’s will for brave, forthright journalism was doomed to clash with Noaman Gomaa, who had recently taken over as party leader from Fouad Siraj Al-Din.
“Gomaa wanted to make the tone of the paper more passive, which of course Mehana strongly opposed. He chose to leave Al-Wafd rather than succumb to Gomaa’s demands. They asked him to go back to Rose Al-Youssef, but by that time it had been co-opted by the government, so he refused, said Saleh.
In 2003, Mehana was among the group of independent journalists who set up Al-Masry Al-Youm, where he began writing “Fi Al-Mamnou. However, it was not long before he was struck by a kidney disease, from which he suffered for four years before passing away last Saturday, Feb. 9.
“He suffered a great deal, he couldn’t find a kidney donor at first, and when he did the cancer had spread too far, said Ahmad El-Masry, who worked with him on the Dream TV program of the same name as his column. “He was a simple guy, a straightforward guy, who practiced what he preached and had his finger on the pulse of the Egyptian people. He knew what they thought and how they thought. I don’t think anybody can fill his shoes.
A year ago, Mehana underwent surgery in France for a kidney transplant. However, this was after he refused Ahmad Nazif’s offer to pay for a kidney donation. “His humility and dignity were with him till the end. He never told anyone he was ill until his operation, said Mahmoud Musalam, editor of the foreign affairs section at Al-Masry Al-Youm, a close friend and colleague of Mehana’s.
“He would go to France for an operation, then come in to work on the program for 10 days or so, absolutely exhausted, but he worked very hard, you could tell he was going through a physical battle.
“I’m devastated about his death, as a journalist and a person. He was quiet, and softly spoken with defined and unflinching morals. We spoke everyday. Now I look at my mobile and find his name…
Such was the respect and awe felt for him by his peers, that Al-Masry Al-Youm have announced the establishment of an annual journalism prize in his name in cooperation with the Journalists’ Syndicate, as well as the collation of his articles in a book along with his biography. As Egypt pays homage to Mehana today, so his legacy is destined to live on tomorrow.
