150. Name: Hayat ben Meriam Title: Al Jazeera’s Coverage of the Arab Spring Revolutions: Field Study on the University of Mostaghanem Media and Communication Students Institution: Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University – Mostaghanem Country: Algeria Date: 2013 Language: Arabic Abstract: Al Jazeera was distinguished during its coverage of the Arab Spring revolutions through the comprehensive coverage it provided. The channel dealt with those events extensively by allocating long and continuous broadcasting time. It also broadcast a huge amount of news, reports, interviews, and hosted so many guests to analyze and comment on developments during unprecedented live coverage. This coverage annoyed Arab regimes and prompted them to close the channel’s offices, harass its correspondents, jam its frequencies, and sometimes cut off its transmission signals via Nilesat. Opinions differed regarding that coverage, and it seemed that it went beyond the limits of purely journalistic treatment. Al Jazeera’s influence became clear in those events, with the prominent role it played in them. This role won the admiration of some, while it was criticized by others, who saw it as a departure from the standards of professional journalistic standards such as objectivity and impartiality. For its critics, Al Jazeera has become, due to the way it covered the Arab Spring revolutions, a party to the conflict and a maker of events, which cast doubt on its credibility.
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