Journalists who are not members of the country's journalists' syndicate have the right to practice the profession and are also entitled to the syndicate's benefits, the union's lawyer has said.

Egypt's top prosecutor on Monday charged two senior newspaper editors who were referred to trial for publishing "false news" and employing journalists who are not members of the syndicate, labeling the latter as a crime.

A statement by the public prosecutors' office urged the Journalists' Syndicate to take the necessary measures to "prevent non-syndicate members from working in journalism." 

However, lawyer Sayed Abu Zeid said that the syndicate has the right to "protect journalists who are on their way to be syndicate members."

"It's the syndicate's duty. They are tomorrow's journalists.

"Since they were journalism interns, it's not a crime and they are more worthy of the syndicate's benefits."

The current syndicate law considers whoever works as a journalist without being a syndicate member as being a "journalist impersonator" and punishes offenders with prison terms or fines.

However, Abu Zeid said that had long only been applied against those who commit violations or non-member editorial executives.

Many journalists in several news outlets and organisations do not have the syndicate membership.

The body has an estimated 8,000 members.

"Does the public prosecutor want to investigate a whole generation who work in journalism without being listed in the syndicate? Or retroactively hold accountable those who practice journalism before being members? Or all editor-in chiefs and CEOS for employing non-members?" syndicate board member Mahmoud Kamel said.