Egypt backs Trump’s media criticism

CAIRO: Egypt on Tuesday applauded US President Donald Trump’s claims that Western media outlets have deliberately not reported on “terrorist” attacks.
Trump accused the media on Monday of disregarding attacks by radicals, in a provocative statement for which he provided no evidence.
In Cairo, a statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid “hailed the US administration stance” criticizing “the Western media’s coverage of some terrorist attacks around the world.”
He said his statement addressed “the White House release of a list of 78 terror attacks (9 of which were in Egypt) which Western media ignored in a clear bias.”
Trump accused the media of downplaying the threat that his administration cites to justify its ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority states.
Speaking during a visit to US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, Trump listed a string of attacks in the US, including 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombings, the Orlando nightclub massacre and the San Bernardino shootings.
“You have seen what happened in Paris and Nice. All over Europe it’s happening. It’s gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported,” he said. “And in many cases the very, very dishonest press does not want to report it.”
On Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement said: “Accusations and the finger of blame were pointed at others (like Egypt) after terrorist attacks… which some Western media portrayed as a security failure on the part of the government.”
It cited Western media coverage of the downing of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai on Oct. 31 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
The ministry also cited coverage of a suicide bombing that killed 29 Christian Copts at a Cairo church on Dec. 11, sparking Coptic protests.