helped the protests enter a critical phase, experienced by most revolu- tions: the political rulers retreat, while the revolutionaries proceed. That coverage revealed the frustrations of the public and what protesters at the now young people-controlled Tahrir Square, had to say at a time when their president was far from being close to the people. That day’s Al-Hassad bulletin included a follow-up on the call for a million-strong demonstrators from Tahrir Square to break into the Presidential Palace. Al Jazeera’s management says coping with those developments and giving them names as they move up from one stage to another, was not an easy editorial decision. Describing them and giving them proper names in a professional manner was discussed at length, and decisions were taken by the editorial board according to specific standards. In the early days of the Tunisian revolution, the description used was simply ‘protests’. But when those protests grew wider and stronger and the public started to chant “the people want to bring down the regime”, Al Jazeera used the description “uprising”. When the protests swept the entire country and involved larger segments of society, the Network then realised the events had turned into a full-fledged “revolution”. A similar approach was adopted later with the Egyptian, Libyan, Yemeni and Syrian revolutions (1) . Conclusion The above analysis shows Al Jazeera was a strong presence during important Arab social and political transformations of the last twen- ty-five years. As we outlined earlier, the dynamics of sociopolitical change during this period followed three interrelated phases: shock and provoke, knowledge and shaping, and finally, affiliation and change. In every transition, the media, whether conventional or new, played a major role. The role of Al Jazeera, in particular, was instrumental across all three phases. Its media discourse contributed to shaping a new Arab awareness and building a vibrant public sphere after shocking the old mindset and shaking the long-established media values of negativity and submission created and maintained by state-run media entities. Al Jazeera’s coverage had a huge influence in liberating Arab audiences
(1) Souag, Interview , Ibid.
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