96. Name: Amal El-Afify Title: The Coverage of Tahrir Square Protest from 25 January to 11 February 2011 by Al Jazeera and BBC: A Comparative Study Institution: University of Leicester Country: United Kingdom Date: 2011 Language: English Abstract: This comparative study analyzes the news coverage on BBC1 and Al Jazeera Arabic of the ‘Tahrir Square’ protests in Cairo from 25 January to 11 February 2011. The study used quantitative and qualitative content analysis to examine the prominence of news stories, news values, and the use of news sources. It looks at the media framing and construction of news stories and the media presentation of the protesters’ demands. The findings showed some differences in the coverage between the two networks in terms of news selection and the use of news sources. However, the definition of protest and protesters’ demands, the presentation of proposed solutions and government responses did not display significant differences. The findings also showed that the pro- democracy protesters received favorable coverage in general, but they received more favorable coverage from Al Jazeera than the BBC, with the BBC coverage being more neutral. The media appeared to facilitate communication between protest groups and the various actors involved in the uprisings. Besides reporting the protests, the media contributed to forming a public opinion favorable of change, which in turn, influenced the outcome.
332
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter