Journalists condemn shutdown of 2 popular Egyptian talk shows

Egypt’s journalists decry media crackdown

CAIRO — Egypt’s Journalists’ Union has accused the government of cracking down on the press after the closing of two popular talk shows ahead of parliamentary elections.

The statement received by The Associated Press on Monday said the two talk shows had been shut down for political reasons because of the sensitive legislative elections set for the end of November.

Mohammed Abdel Qudous, the head of the union’s freedoms committee, said other shows had been told to tone down as well.

Egyptian authorities, however, maintain the closures were for financial not political reasons.

Egypt’s media scene has seen an explosion of privately owned TV networks and programs in the past five years that have increasingly pushed government boundaries discussing politics.