CAIRO: Recognizing the importance of citizen journalism, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) launched its first issue of its monthly Wasla Thursday, Egypt’s first newspaper with 90 percent content derived from blog entries.
The newspaper “mirrors what happens on the blogs … We want to transfer what is discussed online to an audience that does not read blogs, said head of ANHRI Gamal Eid at a press conference at the organization’s headquarters downtown.
The newspaper will include entries by Egyptian bloggers alongside Arab-related entries by online activists from around the world.
In addition to transferring blogs from digital to print format, the newspaper hopes to bridge two generations of journalists: the old school, professional journalists and citizen journalists.
The word “wasla in Arabic means “connection .
In printing the content of blogospheres, ANHRI is bringing the opinions of the active, younger generation to the professional journalists and old school political thinkers in a package that is familiar to them.
“There’s a general interest in what’s happening online, said Mohamed Gaber, prominent blogger and artistic director of Wasla.
Gaber added that the world’s older generations are developing an interest in bloggers and online activists because they view them as a group of individuals genuinely interested in world affairs without seeking money or fame.
“It’s not a commercial paper, added Eid.
Journalists and bloggers gathered Thursday around the founders of Wasla, an idea Eid says was spurred sometime in 2008 after the outbreak of the Mahallah riots on April 6, which drew attention to social networking website Facebook and the pivotal online youth movements.
The editorial team, comprised of Ahmed Nagui, Ibtisam Taalab, Salma El-Wardany and Mohamed Gaber, emphasized that the blog entries chosen for print will not be censored prior to printing.
“We speak the language of the street, said Gaber.
“Some of the language used on blogs is more acceptable than that used in Al-Dostour and Rosa Al-Youssef, added Nagui, quelling concerns from attendees that the content may include foul language which is characteristic of some blogs.
Breaking the straitjacketed approach of traditional newspapers, Gaber used an image by digital artist Moufa of Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and current reform activist, for the front page of Wasla’s pilot issue.
“All front pages [of traditional newspapers] have a lead story with one big picture and a few other stories with smaller pictures, said Gaber, adding that he feels that by resizing the images he is being “unfair to the art work.
The last page of the 16-page tabloid-size publication will be dedicated to digital art work. Meanwhile, two pages will include blog entries about Egypt or the Arab world written in English.
Comments on the chosen blogs will be published according to the value they add to the original entry, explained Nagui.
The first issue of Wasla includes entries published on tahyyes.blogspot.com, and demaghmak.blogspot.com on the “ElBaradei fever .
While an entry by kashfun.blogspot.com chronicles the story of the journalist herself who was fired for publishing an article about the Chinese-made artificial hymens that hit the Egyptian market last year, editor El-Taalab writes about bloggers who are arrested for publishing their views on blogs.
The English section includes entries by arablit.wordpress.com and Inanities (allthegoodnameshadgone.blogspot.com).
Wasla is kicking off as a monthly publication, but will soon be printed bi-monthly until it becomes a weekly issue.
Content is also available online in PDF format at http://wasla.anhri.net/.
