File Photo: Egypt's Journalists' Syndicate building. Ahram.
On Tuesday, Barrack, accompanied by deputy envoy Morgan Ortagus, was in Beirut as part of US efforts to push for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
During the press briefing at the Lebanese Presidential palace following his meeting with the Lebanese president, he scolded journalists for calling out questions simultaneously—a standard practice in news conferences—linking their behaviour to what he described as a wider “problem” in the Middle East.
“Please, be quiet for a moment. And I wanna tell you something. The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” he told reporters.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, El-Balshy rejected what he called the envoy’s “arrogance and rudeness,” stressing that insulting journalists while performing their professional duties is a direct affront to the entire media community and a violation of the respect owed to a profession protected by international conventions.
He demanded a formal public apology from the US envoy for his “unacceptable and undignified comments.”
The syndicate chief also urged Arab journalists’ unions and media organisations to boycott any events the envoy attended until he adheres to respectful dialogue and recognises the value of the profession.
He further called on the US State Department to take responsibility for its representative’s conduct and hold him accountable.
El-Balshy linked the envoy’s condescending attitude to Washington’s silence over the crimes of the Israeli occupation, including the killing of more than 246 Palestinian journalists.
He stressed that such behaviour is intolerable and reflects a pattern of disregard for press freedom and professional dignity.
“The dignity of journalists is not negotiable, and any violation of it is a violation against all journalists,” he said, adding that the syndicate will coordinate with its counterparts to adopt unified measures that safeguard the profession and ensure respect for its practitioners.
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