196. Name: Zaineh Alzoubi Title: Al Jazeera and Arab Uprisings: The Syrian Case Institution: Bournemouth University Country: United Kingdom Date: 2020 Language: English Abstract:
This study investigates the impact of Al Jazeera Arabic news channel on the Syrian uprising at its beginning in March and April 2011. This investigation is carried out in light of the widely discussed media coverage of Al Jazeera, which was accused to have played an instrumental role in shaping the course of the Arab Spring in favor of certain agendas. This research intends to verify this role by examining the extent of its impact on the Syrian audience perception, and on the Syrian uprising course of events. It was conducted over three stages in which qualitative empirical methodology was applied to present a complete picture about Al Jazeera’s role. The first stage consists of a qualitative content analysis of Al Jazeera’s main newscast ‘Hasad Al Yaoum’, focusing on the channel’s language when addressing the Syrian audience. The second stage involves focus groups with Syrian nationals conducted to examine the impact of Al Jazeera’s coverage on the Syrian audience perceptions. The third stage includes semi- structured interviews conducted with different categories of Al Jazeera staff to explore the factors that guide the channel’s coverage.
217
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter