47. Name: Taoufik Ben Ammar Title: The Language of Terrorism: Al Jazeera and the Framing of Terrorism Discourse Institution: Georgetown University Country: United States Date: 2009 Language: English Abstract: There is a general consensus among U.S. scholars and policy makers that anti-Americanism in the Arab world is at its highest point to date. However, there is disagreement about the root causes of this sentiment. The claim has been made that, ‘they [Arabs] hate our freedom’ or, ‘they hate our values’, while others blame U.S. foreign policy for causing the anti-Americanism. This study examines whether Al Jazeera does in fact contribute to such an anti-American sentiment that is reputedly so pervasive across the Arab and Muslim world. It also examines the way Western discourses on terrorism are framed and how Al Jazeera plays the role of a counter-ideology to these discourses, specifically regarding program moderators and guests hosted by the channel’s round table discussions. Through an analysis of selected transcripts from a number of programs, the study demonstrates that Al Jazeera not only informs its audience, but also creates an information. It is found that Al Jazeera responds to, and is influenced by, not only the Arab cultural context of interactive exchange, but also by Western frames, formats and structures of information dissemination.
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