‘We are not the problem,’ editor of news outlet that Egyptian court ordered to close tells AP

The editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, one of Egypt's last independent media outlets, spoke to The Associated Press about the potential closure of her newspaper. Facing a possible prison sentence and the court-ordered shutdown of Mada Masr, Lina Attalah emphasized that silencing journalists is not the solution and would only lead to the spread of disinformation.

She stated, "We are not the problem. I think our disappearance is a problem." Mada Masr has been a unique voice in Egypt, investigating corruption, human rights violations, economics, politics, and cultural discussions. Its closure would be detrimental to the country, as Attalah described it as "butchering what's left of a space that's keeping this country sane and healthy, and a societal need for information that cannot just be ignored."