Hisham Kassem is a staunch advocate of independent journalism and works to defend transparency in newspaper ownership.

One of Egypt’s most prominent publishers and democracy activists, Kassem previously served as the publisher of Al-Masry Al-Youm (“The Egyptian Today”), Egypt’s only independent daily paper. He is the former vice president of the liberal opposition Hizb al-Ghad (Tomorrow Party) and served as chairman of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.