The voluble former Nigerian Minister for Information and Culture, Prof. Jerry Gana, used to say it loud and clear – that those who are paid to teach should teach well; those paid to work should work well while those paid to manage men and resources should manage them well. So, borrowing the erudite academician’s analogy, we feel bold to add that those, who are paid to present programs on television, should present them well.
It is possible that Doaa Salah in Egypt did not get the chance to listen to the Nigerian professor. She has run foul of the simple rule.
As reports from Cairo say, Doaa Salah, a presenter on Al-Nahar TV has been sentenced to three years in jail after she discussed ways of becoming pregnant outside a conventional marriage.
According to the reports, Salah had asked if her viewers had considered having sex before marriage, and also suggested a woman could marry briefly to have children before divorcing, a topic the government felt is promoting indecency. On the episode in question, Salah wore a fake pregnant belly to highlight her point. This episode was aired back in July.
Salah was suspended by the TV station for three months in the aftermath of the broadcast, before legal action was taken against her.
The TV presenter was then charged and convicted of outraging public decency. She was also ordered to pay a $566 fine to the lawyer who filed the lawsuit against her. But she can appeal the three-year sentence.
Another presenter on the same channel, Reham Saeed, was suspended for three months after spending an episode discussing extra-marital affairs. The message is quite clear – TV executives in Egypt want presenters to stay off what they are not paid to present.
