CAIRO — Egypt's National Press Authority (NPA) recently issued a travel restriction that some in the news business consider a blessing, while others see it as a curse.
The move obliges reporters, editors-in-chief and board chairmen working for state-run newspapers to get NPA permission before heading to seven "restless" countries: Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Before the mandate was issued, journalists needed only the approval of their editor-in-chief and board chairman to travel there for work. Journalists are still free to travel to these countries without formal approval on their own time.