Chief editor criticize & poetize
In an incident that has sparked outrage within the journalistic community in Cairo, a staff member of the World Health Organization’s office allegedly engaged in unprofessional and inhumane behavior toward a respected Egyptian journalist covering an international conference at a Cairo hotel.
The staff member reportedly pressured hotel management to forcibly remove the journalist from the lunch table, despite being fully aware of his press credentials and his active coverage of the conference in both Arabic and English. Even when the journalist offered to personally pay for his meal using his bank card, the hotel staff—acting on the employee’s instructions—refused, compelling him to leave the restaurant in an incident that shocked observers.
This raises several pressing questions:
- How can an individual with such conduct be allowed to represent an organization of WHO’s stature?
- Does this employee not realize that Egyptian law obliges all institutions to facilitate the work of journalists in monitoring events and reporting to the global public?
- Was this an act of personal vendetta, professional jealousy, or an alarming hostility toward journalism itself?
Such behavior not only offends the dignity of the journalist involved but also undermines the reputation of an international organization funded by the contributions of member states across the globe. It contradicts WHO’s declared principles of transparency, professionalism, and respect for human rights.
The question now remains: will the World Health Organization take immediate action to investigate this incident and ensure accountability, or will its image continue to be tarnished by irresponsible individual actions that threaten its credibility and moral authority?
Poetry!
Did you not know the press, a faithful flame,
That guards your honor and upholds your name?
It shines the path when shadows veil the way,
And crowns your mission with the light of day.
How could a hand, so reckless, strike with spite,
And cast a noble scribe away from right?
You heal the bodies, yet the soul you bruise,
A paradox no truth can now excuse.
The press is sister to your noble creed,
Its ink is witness to each word, each deed.
If one within your ranks should act in shame,
Then justice must restore your rightful claim.
Raise high the bond, let trust be firm, not frail,
For without the press, your banners surely fail.
