Whether it was a deliberate fabrication (given the guardian ideological stance) or laziness by the Guardian  hackette, Lisa O’Carroll; the story on an Egyptian court ruling on some TV channels was factually inaccurate, contains errors and leaves out vital information which misleads readers and can cause violent reaction on the ground in Egypt.

In a misleading report entitled . Egyptian court orders closure of al-Jazeera affiliate  the lefty rag runs a story about Egyptian court ruling on a media case brought by rivals.  :.” a court has ordered al-Jazeera‘s local affiliate to stop broadcasting, along with three other TV channels known for their coverage of Muslim Brotherhood protests, saying that they had operated illegally. The other channels the Egyptian government wants closed are Ahrar 25, a network belonging to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist broadcasters Al-Yarmuk and Al-Quds, according to the court order. “  Miss O’Carroll pens, before exposing the reader to the wisdom of her guessing, “ Tuesday’s decision by the administrative court was expected”..

Had she bothered to check facts, she’d have realised the court case had little to do with government or even with the political protest by millions of Egyptians ( around 15:1 ratio) wanting to get rid of the Muslim Brothers so loved by the British left who, in a racist way, see an elected Islamist rule as the optimum political system for any nation they decided it was ‘ muslim’.

What the Guardian hackette printed was factually untrue. The fact is it was a court ruling in case which has been going on for long time. Local media complaining that some TV service, including al-Jazeera Egypt direct ( Misr Mubasher) and three others were unfairly competing since they broadcast /transmit without air-wave & wireless licence which is a law requirement exactly as it is the case in UK and rest of the world. Those TV services do not pay ( the quite costly) annual licence fee which makes them sign undertaking to follow the board of broadcasting, communication  and wireless licence ( just like our OFCom code). A law suit was filed at the administrative court by lawyers Mahmoud Farghaly Omran, Ayman Abdel-Azizi and Amr Kamal asking court to block transmission until the named services obtain the licence like dozens of other TV and broadcast services who have to pay the annual transmission fees.  One guesses  the lawyers might have their motives, to do with media rivalry as they compete in a crowded market while rivals financed by sheikh of Qatar ( who has a very deep pocket) .. but still facts are facts. The Court ruling has little to do with Government officials as the hackette falsely reported.

Then again Miss O’Carroll accuses Egyptian authority of deporting al-Jazeera hacks saying “It also follows the deportation of three freelance journalists working for al-Jazeera on Sunday, “

And instead of checking with Egypt immigration, visa  and passport board days as why the three hacks were deported, Miss O’Carroll brandishes her guessing talents to suggest a political motive “ … after the Qatar-based channel carried appeals from leaders of ousted-president Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood to stage protests against the army-backed government.”  Had she bothered to call the board she’d have been advised that the three hacks were working illegally. They had no work permit or valid visa to work.  Again the racist view of the British left that while Britain or a European government can deport people working illegally or have no valid visa to stay, the same right is denied to African countries like Egypt who are told what to do, how to govern themselves and how their judges should rule by the wiser know better British lefties  .

The Guardian should know better as inaccurate reporting, fabrications and breaching of PCC editorial codes not only give enemies of free press like Hacked-Off excuses to call for media censorship, but also dangerous and cost lives. By giving extremist groups impression that public opinion in the west supports them they carry on increasing their violence hoping that unrest would result in western intervention on their side. Hence inaccurate reporting and guessing instead of checking facts makes a journalist indirectly party in a crime or in violence.