Al Jazeera Tells its Story: In-Depth Studies

sponsibility for the news” (1) . The field dimension goes beyond the con- cept of geographical proximity to the recipient, who is concerned with the news or event, to also include psychological and human proximity and thus reveal additional contexts of events and facts. The value of “context” allows the boundaries of the news narrative of facts to ex- pand by framing them within local, regional, and international contexts and looking into their causes, relationships, and the roles of direct and indirect actors. The geopolitical dimension of news is a new element in Al Ja- zeera’s matrix of news values. This dimension has not been given due attention in media literature or even in major international media insti- tutions. From its establishment, Al Jazeera recognised the importance of the geopolitical dimension of events, which was reflected in its brave coverage of the war on Afghanistan, the Palestinian uprising, the war in Iraq and the Arab Spring. News of conflicts and wars cannot be viewed separately from the effects of the geographic map of reality and geopo- litical interaction. Here, once again, Al Jazeera’s news model was dis- tinct in its attention to this dimension, as coverage extended far beyond the news. Understanding the geographic scope in which events take place, the various actors and political forces, and the interests of region- al and international players, are also important and give news coverage the depth and distinction that we see clearly in the model developed by Al Jazeera. Second: New Media Culture Most of the studies and research on Al Jazeera’s professional ex- perience, some of which were explored in Academic Research on Al Jazeera: A Guide for PhDs, Masters and Books (1996-2012) (2) , high- light the uniqueness of Al Jazeera’s operations and content. These stud- (1) Al Jazeera Media Network, Editorial Standards , Second Edition, (Beirut: Arab Scientific Publishers, 2015), p. 62. (2) Ezzeddine Abdelmoula (ed.), Academic Research on Al Jazeera: A Guide for PhDs, Mas- ters and Books (1996-2012) (Beirut: Al Jazeera Centre for Studies and the Arab Scientific Pub- lishers , 2016).

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