Al Jazeera Centre for Studies has released the third issue of Al Jazeera li Dirasat al-Itisal wa al-I’lam (Arabic: Al Jazeera for Communications and Media Studies). This issue of the journal features a research dossier on the flow of the media system and its characteristics in several Arab countries. It examines the structures of various journalistic models that have formed between 2011 and 2023. The studies in this dossier are based on multiple approaches and dimensions that define the characteristics of Arab media systems and the specificity of their journalistic models, including the relationship between the media system and the political system, its vision of journalism and its role in society as well as the legislative structure and the regulatory and legal environment for journalistic work. The economic model of media institutions, the role of journalism as a narrative of political culture and a tool for public discourse, professional practices in journalism, mechanisms of self-regulation, and the interaction of journalism with the social, cultural and political environment and press freedom are also explored. The contributors to this dossier include academics and specialised researchers such as Suleiman Saleh (Egypt), Nacer-Eddine Layadi (Algeria), Mohamed Karim Boukhssas (Morocco), Abdullah Bakhsh (Yemen), and Azzam Muhammad Abu Al-Hamam (Jordan).
In the Studies and Research section, the journal delves into the Western media coverage of the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023, and the shifts in Western public opinion of the Palestinian cause. The first study, "Muwajjihat al-Khitab al-I’lami al-Gharbi wa Mughalatat at-Taghtiya al-Ikhbariya lal Harb al-Israiliya ‘ala Ghazza”, addresses the modalities of Western media discourse and fallacies in the news coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza," while the second study touches on the paradigmatic shift in Western public representations of both Zionist and Palestinian discourses.
The third issue also features the second part of the research dossier, "Social Media Networks and Ideological Polarisation." The studies in the dossier are the proceedings of a conference held by Al Jazeera Center for Studies in partnership with the Department of Mass Communication at Qatar University on 1-2 March 2023 under the title, "Social Media Networks and Ideological Polarisation: Power Relations and Socio-Cultural Impact".
In the Book Review section, the journal presents an analysis of a new book published in 2023 in English entitled, News Quality in the Digital Age. Edited by academics Regina Lawrence and Philip Napoli, the book features contributions from a group of academics and experts in the field of communication and media. The focus of the book is on redefining journalism and media as a whole, including the concept of news quality in the context of ongoing changes driven by the digital revolution and the role played by algorithms in shaping its trajectory.
To view the issue (in Arabic), click here.
For previous issues (in Arabic), click here.