36. Name: Anthony Maalouf Title: The Influence of Al Jazeera in the Arab World and the
Response of Arab Governments Institution: Villanova University Country: United States Date: 2008 Language: English Abstract:
Since its launch in November 1996, Al Jazeera has been a source of vexation to the autocratic governments in the Arab World. With its 24-hour news cycle, its uncensored nature of field reporting and informed analyses, Al Jazeera challenged the status-quo and changed the traditional role of Arab Media. This development transformed Arab media s from being compliant with governments to being critical of them. This study examines the extent to which Al Jazeera represents a serious challenge to Arab governments’ control of information. To this end, the study looks to the various responses from Arab governments to Al Jazeera’s media coverage. It does this by conducting a critical review of the existing literature and employing a qualitative methodology. Drawing on the CNN Effect theory, the researcher records observations regarding the responses of Arab governments. Research findings indicate an overall weakness in Arab governments’ efforts to resist the growing influence of Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera’s ability to remain a potent force, could contribute to the decline of Arab autocracies and their control of information. This could translate into partial or fundamental political changes.
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