Walid Osman is a PhD student at the Institute of Media and Communication Studies, Free University of Berlin. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo as well as a Master of Arts (M.A.) in International Media Studies from Deutsche Welle Akademie in Bonn. In his Master thesis he analyzed the role of media in communicating sustainable development with a focus on the transition from MDGs to SDGs in Egypt. Additionally, Walid is a graduate of the Managing Global Governance Academy of the German Development Institute in Bonn. His previous work experience is in the field of public diplomacy and communication for development with UNDP, ILO and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is currently a Lecturer of Political Mass Media at the Future University of Egypt.

Thesis: Free Media in Egypt: An Analysis of Fear in the Public Sphere

ABSTRACT

With the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the rise of a military regime come-back, it is important to assess the democratic culture with the Egyptian society. With media being an essential indicator to democracy, understanding people’s perspectives on media freedom will provide perspectives on their attitude towards democracy. My research analyzes the viscous circle of a suppressed public sphere in Egypt with regards to the impact of political and cultural norms as well as a polarized media on Egyptian audiences. The research is the first of its kind in the region to focus on audiences using a public opinion polling method and could be used as an effective new tool of measuring media freedom especially in countries within transitional political phases.