Introduction

All media were once upon a time “new media,” and people in Egypt—whether under occupation or after independence—have historically been quick to experiment with “successive waves of new media” while they were still new. A reputation as “early adopter” was maintained through following decades, for both “big” and “small” media, where size refers to audience reach but to a distinction between vertical communication that is professionally produced and a horizontal form based on active popular participation. One theme, evident in Nasser’s radio transmissions as well as the Arabsat-Nilesat saga, is Egypt’s role in regional affairs. Qatari foreign policy behind decisions taken at the top of the Al-Jazeera network continued to affect Egypt’s media scene through the aftermath of the January 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak, president for the previous 30 years, the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, and under the presidency of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.