Satellite TV news and Arab democracy

The red and white banners of Lebanon’s anti-Syrian protests in the spring of 2005 were a testament to the transformational power of the Arab media revolution. Without al-Jazeera and the new constellation of Arab satellite broadcasters, it is unlikely there would ever have been a ‘‘Cedar Revolution,’’ as a Bush Administration official quickly dubbed the spontaneous protests that ended Syria’s 29-year military presence in Lebanon. However, television did not drive out the Syrians, any more than it gave birth to some new form of Lebanese democracy. TV cannot alone create change. It is an agent of change*more specifically, a tool used by the architects of change. Arab television is providing a level of cover to those who seek democratic change and it may even be supplanting at least some of the traditionally more bloody battlefields of the Middle East by allowing confrontations to play out through the camera rather than the gun. Yet an emerging corporate feudalism, in which the majority of semi-independent media outlets are owned by individuals who are part of, or close to, the ruling families of the region, means that red lines still exist which constrain journalists and limit the pace of change

Middle Eastern and North African Journalism

Abstract: News organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have traditionally been controlled by, or largely beholden to, the region\u27s governments. That changed with the revolution in Arab journalism in the years leading up to the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprising. But a political counterrevolution soon put authoritarian forces back in charge, re‐imposing their grip on Arab journalism

Pakistani journalism: at the crossroads of Muslim identity, national priorities and journalistic culture

A loosening of controls on the Pakistani media in recent years has meant the influence of Pakistani journalists is increasingly being felt in country’s tumultuous internal politics and its relations with the West. That has sparked a backlash, which has made Pakistan among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Given the country’s key strategic role, both in terms of South Asian regional geo-politics and in the broader global struggle against radical Islamist militancy, it is important to better understand the evolution of media culture in Pakistani society. A nationwide survey, replicating recent studies of Arab and Indonesian journalists, found that nationalism, religious identity and a growing sense of professionalism shape the worldview of Pakistani journalists, whose overarching goals include defending national sovereignty and facilitating societal development