89. Name: Khalaf M. Tahat Title: Covering Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis of Al Jazeera
News Site and Al Arabiya News Site Institution: Arkansas State University Country: United States Date: 2011 Language: English Abstract:
The purpose of this comparative study is to examine how two Arab news sites, Al Jazeera news site and Al Arabiya news site, portrayed terrorism events from September 11, 2009 to September 10, 2010. A total of 200 news stories were collected and analyzed, with 100 stories from each sites. The study finds that the two sites have failed to correct the stereotype of Muslims being portrayed as terrorists. They did not make serious efforts to dispel the negative image of Islam, which western media has frequently painted, accusing Arab and Muslims of terrorism. In addition, both sites were unable to crystallize clear trends, specific and bold positions to reflect the Arab-Islamic culture regarding the terrorism issues. They failed to do so, mainly because they have depended heavily on western agencies and international sources in reporting terrorism. They also failed to use educational or defensive policy in reporting terrorism, which increased the cultural gap between how Arabs and Muslims look to themselves as terrorism victims from one side, and how the west in general portrays Muslims as terrorism creators from the other side.
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