BBC: Syrian media slow to open up
The media sector in Syria is now strictly controlled, with most publications and media outlets owned by the state. In the face of growing international political pressure on Syria to open up to the rest of the world, there are cautious steps in that direction.
Continue reading "BBC: Syrian media slow to open up"
Posted by Matthew Burton on June 5, 2005 at 04:57 PM in Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (208)
Gordon Robison on media training in the Middle East
Gordon Robison at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy asked us to post his most recent paper, Tasting Western Journalism: Media Training in the Middle East. It addresses some of the problems NGOs are facing in the classrooms of their Middle East journalism training programs.
Posted by Matthew Burton on May 24, 2005 at 10:26 PM in Middle East media, Training | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (332)
An Update from Yemen
Olivia Allison of Rice University is travelling throughout the Middle East and Maghreb. She recently sent us this article on recent developments in the Yemeni media environment. You may contact Olivia through me.
Yemeni media situation
By Olivia Allison
Despite the March 23 presidential pardon of newspaper editor Abdul-Karim Al-Khaiwani, Yemeni journalists say the amnesty is a mixed blessing, as it did not remove KhaiwaAn ni’s charges. Furthermore, journalists said they are still under attack, as the Ministry of Information is reportedly drafting a new media law.
Continue reading "An Update from Yemen"
Posted by Matthew Burton on May 6, 2005 at 02:55 AM in Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0)
NYT Mag: The War Inside the Arab Newsroom
New York Times Magazine on Al Arabiya:
Al Arabiya's sophisticated production values set it apart from other Arab news channels. Its sets and graphics have a clean, high-tech look, and its news bulletins are fast-paced -- no item lasts longer than two and a half minutes -- and are introduced with a dramatic drumbeat. While Al Jazeera anchors sit at a desk in front of a drab two-dimensional backdrop that looks a little like a local American news set from the 1970's, Al Arabiya's news is broadcast from the floor of its futuristic in-the-round silver-and-glass newsroom. More
Posted by Matthew Burton on January 2, 2005 at 03:14 PM in Al Arabiya, Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (290)
Heinrich-Boll on Arab media
The Heinrich-Boll Foundation has published a study on Arab media.
Posted by Matthew Burton on December 20, 2004 at 12:41 PM in Links and Announcements, Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (100)
CEIP on Arab media
The Carnegie Endowment's Arab Reform Bulletin focuses on Arab media in their December issue.
Posted by Matthew Burton on December 17, 2004 at 12:39 PM in Links and Announcements, Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (456)
NY Times: On the Air, Palestinians Soften Tone on Israelis
"...something significant has shifted in recent weeks, since the death of Yasir Arafat, according to those who monitor the broadcasts. Suddenly there is talk of reconciliation. Israeli troops are called by more neutral terms. Scenes of destruction have fallen away. And the regular Friday sermons have become considerably more moderate." More
Posted by Matthew Burton on December 15, 2004 at 12:19 PM in Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (68)
Arab Advisors Group releases Saudi media audience study
Al Jazeera viewers base in Saudi Arabia is 5 times larger than United States Sponsored AlHurra's audience. Al Hurra's credibility scores are quite bad in contrast with those of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya.
A new scientific survey by the Arab Advisors Group revealed that close to 89% of Arab households in Saudi Arabia have Satellite TVs. The results also revealed that Arab SAT TV Viewers in Saudi Arabia have little trust in AlHurra News Channel. In contrast Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya news channels have much higher credibility amongst a much larger viewers base. The survey covered all channels viewed in Saudi Arabia be they news, music, sports and general entertainment. Radio listening patterns were also covered by the survey.
Continue reading "Arab Advisors Group releases Saudi media audience study"
Posted by Matthew Burton on September 5, 2004 at 11:17 AM in Al Arabiya, Alhurra, Aljazeera, Middle East media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (99)
THE BIG STORY WITH JOHN GIBSON (on Aljazeera's ethics code)
Transcript from Fox news
Continue reading "THE BIG STORY WITH JOHN GIBSON (on Aljazeera's ethics code)"
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on July 13, 2004 at 10:46 AM in Aljazeera, Middle East media, Violence in broadcasting | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (185)
UK/Iraq: New satellite TV "Arabic News Broadcast" targets Iraq - BBC Monitoring Research
A new pan-Arab satellite TV channel, United Kingdom-based Arabic News Broadcast (ANB), has beamed test TV programmes from 1700-2000 gmt on the Hotbird 4, Eutelsat W1 and Nilesat satellites. The channel is reported to have four regional bureaus in the Middle East and is believed to be uplinked from Beirut.
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on July 1, 2004 at 11:05 AM in Middle East media, New television | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (78)
BBC warned Arabic TV channel will be derided as propaganda - By Ian Burrell, Media Editor, The Independent
The BBC was warned last night that its plans to launch an Arabic television station would be met with suspicion by many in the Arab world.
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on June 25, 2004 at 11:11 AM in Middle East media, New television, Public broadcasting, Public diplomacy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (116)
Arabs are watching US TV channel Alhurra--survey Reuters
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - The controversial U.S. Arabic-language TV channel Alhurra is winning viewers as a news source in the Arab world despite rising anti-American attitudes in the region, according to a U.S.-financed poll released on Thursday.
Continue reading "Arabs are watching US TV channel Alhurra--survey Reuters"
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on April 29, 2004 at 02:19 PM in Alhurra, Middle East media, New television, Public diplomacy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (408)
Reality television: Al-Jazeera has a track record of accurate reporting
When US forces recently demanded that a team from the Arabic TV station al-Jazeera leave Falluja as a condition for reaching a ceasefire with the local resistance, it came as no surprise at the network's headquarters in Doha. Reliable sources there say that coalition officials threatened to close down the al-Jazeera bureau in Baghdad earlier this year and last week sent a letter accusing the network of violating the Geneva convention and the principles of a free press.
Click here to read this Guardian article.
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on April 27, 2004 at 12:04 PM in Aljazeera, Middle East media, Press freedom, Violence in broadcasting | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (134)
STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFING
BRIEFER: RICHARD BOUCHER, DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN
LOCATION: STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING ROOM, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr Boucher answers questions on concerns about Al-Jazeera, Violence in the Media and press freedom.
Continue reading "STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR BRIEFING"
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on April 27, 2004 at 11:37 AM in Aljazeera, Middle East media, Press freedom, Violence in broadcasting | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (83)
A new look to Arab news by Muafac Harb (news director, Alhurra and Radio Sawa)
There is something very important to be said about competition, especially within the media. With the onslaught of cable and satellite networks in the United States, Americans can easily watch a news story on four or five different channels, to ensure they get a balanced and accurate idea of what is going on in the world and filter through any biases, whether real or imagined.
That is essentially the idea behind Alhurra (Arabic for "Free One"), the latest Arabic-language news and information channel to come to the Middle East: to present factual and accurate reporting to viewers in the 22 Arab countries we reach, thereby providing them with a fresh perspective of the news that affects them. Once people have a better understanding of the world around them, they become part of the global debate.
Click here to read more.
Posted by Vanessa Hetherington on April 22, 2004 at 02:33 PM in Alhurra, Middle East media, Public diplomacy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (131)
