First published on 19th February 2011 in AfroArticles, Buzzle and American Chronicle Extensively republished; indicatively: https://archive.org/post/349052/egypt-mass-media-gave-fake-numbers-of-protesters-example-the-new-york-times-fallacy

1. Egypt – Mass Media Gave Fake Numbersof
Protesters. Example:the New York Times
Fallacy
Poster: Megalommatis
Date: Feb 19, 2011 9:21am
Forum:democracy_now
Subject: Egypt – Mass Media Gave Fake Numbers of Protesters. Example: the New
York Times Fallacy
https://archive.org/post/349052/egypt-mass-media-gave-fake-numbers-of-
protesters-example-the-new-york-times-fallacy
--------------------------------------------------
In two earlier articles published under the titles ‘’The Collapse of the Mubarak
Regime and the Re-birth of Egypt’’ (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-collapse-
of-the-mubarak-regime-and-the-re-birth-of-egypt.html), and ‘’Egypt in Crisis, Self-
governed Cairo, and the Emergence of Egypt’s Civil Society’’
(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/egypt-in-crisis-self-governed-cairo-and-the-
emergence-of-egypts-civil-society.html), I expanded on the underlying reasons of the
present socio-political upheaval in Egypt, and on the socio-political developments
that took place in Cairo during the week 28 January – 3 February.
I added that it would be very simplistic to establish a divide of the type ‘’civil,
democratic society supporters vs. an autocratic regime’’, and I specified that for
many long decades the Western mass media diffused worldwide an altered image of
the Egyptian reality, thus helping the local regime myths remain intact in Egypt, and
the global public opinion stay in mysteries.
In the present article, I will offer a striking example of journalistic fallacy published
in the New York Times, which contradicts the diagram they offered to their readers.
‘’Hundreds of thousands’’ were never in Tahrir square prior to Mubarak’s removal
on 11 February 2011,because presently, the famous Down Town Cairo square simply
cannot accommodate even 100000 (one hundred thousand) people.
As a matter of fact, in front of the Egyptian Museum and on the back side of the
former Nile Hilton (that is under reconstruction) and the Arab League building,
there are works at the grounds in the sizeable area that was in the past the Tahrir bus
station. During the recent manifestations, not a single protester had access to the said
construction area which remained out of reach for all; similarly, the small street
which, alongside the aforementioned area, leads from the back entrance of the Arab
League building to the main entrance of the Egyptian Museum was sealed off to
protesters. Finally, the courtyard of the Mogama building remained inaccessible to
the gathering people.

2. 7. The area where the Tahrir square protesters gathered comprises of the following
parts:
a. from the end of Qasr el Aini street to the central roundabout of Tahrir square (the
space between the American University and the Mogama building),
b. the central roundabout of Tahrir square,
c. the Mogama building gardens (beyond the courtyard in front of the building),
d. the nearby underground garage gardens,
e. the street leading from the central roundabout of Tahrir square to the corniche
and the Qasr el Nil bridge,
f. the street leading from the central roundabout of Tahrir square to the intersection
with Champollion street (opposite to the Egyptian Museum gardens) and further on
up to the intersection with Mahmud Bassiyuny street (opposite to the backside of the
enclosure wall of the Egyptian Museum / see
here: http://www.touregypt.net/map06.htm),
g. the area between the backside of the enclosure wall of the Egyptian Museum and
the Ramsis Hilton Hotel (part of this area is under the 6th October bridge and other
passageways),
h. small parts of nearby streets close to the above area, notably in Talaat Harb street,
and Champollion street, and to lesser extent in Muhammad Mahmud street, Tahrir
street, Al Bostan street, and Qasr el Nil street, and
i. the corniche from the Radio & Television building to the Hotel Intercontinental
As it can be easily understood, the above points a to i encompass an area that is far
wider than Tahrir square stricto sensu; but the density of the people gathered to
protest was scarce to very scarce in the above parts g, h, and i, whereas the density
was also meagre in several spots in the above parts a, c, d, e, and f.
In fact, high density was noticed in the central roundabout of Tahrir square and
toward the beginning of Tahrir street and Talaat Harb street, let’s say from in front of
Hardee’s fast food restaurant and up to the Telephone Office, before the intersection
with Al Bustan street (ahead of the nearby intersection with Qasr el Nil street and
Champollion street. In the street leading from the central roundabout of Tahrir
square to the corniche and the Qasr el Nil bridge, high density was attested only up
to the metro station exits (on either parts of the street).
With high density meaning four (4) persons per m2, the aforementioned data makes
clear that in the high density area there were ca. 32000 to 35000 people. In various
degrees of lower density (in above points g and i, it was less than 1 person per m2),
there were another 20000 to 30000 people in all the other parts of the aforementioned
areas.
Comically enough, the disreputable and misleading New York Times

3. (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/03/world/middleeast/20110203-
tahrir-square-protest-diagram.html#panel/5) offered their readers a diagram of the
above described area that, even under terms of utmost density (four persons per m2),
cannot accommodate more than 100000 people (part coloured in light brown as per
the above link).
Safely enough, they did not offer any map scale (as it can be noticed in the earlier
link), because all of their readers would protest against the New York Times’ filthy
lie stated in the shameful text under the title ‘’The Battle for Tahrir Square’’
(‘’Sunday, Feb. 6 - Defying government calls for a return to normalcy, more than
100000 turned out to protest in the square’’).
This minor example typifies very well the incredible score of fallacies diffused by the
orchestrated mass media of the global word order. On this subject, I will further
expand in a forthcoming article.