Arab National Media and Political Change Recording the Transition [Paperback]

This book examines the evolution of national Arab media and its interplay with political change, particularly in emerging democracies in the context of the Arab uprisings. Investigated from a journalistic perspective, this research addresses the role played by traditional national media in consolidating emerging democracies or in exacerbating their fragility within new political contexts. Also analyzed are the ways journalists report about politics and transformations of these media industries, drawing on the international experiences of media in transitional societies. This study builds on a field investigation led by the author and conducted within the project Arab Revolutions: Media Revolutions, covering Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt.

Introduction

Chapter 1 Regulatory Media Reform: The Legacy of the Past and Burdens in the Present  

Chapter 2 Watchdogs and Patriots: How Arab Journalists Define Professionalism in Daily Practice

Chapter 3 The Media Elite: Moderators or Preachers of the Public Opinion?

Chapter 4 State Media: A Public Service?

Chapter 5 Journalists versus Activist?: Traditional Journalists and Cyber Activism

Chapter 6 Ratings Are Votes: Media and Democratization

Conclusion  

A useful reference tool for academics, policymakers and the media development community. The book is littered with countless specific examples of how journalism has shifted in the region over the last seven years, drawing comparisons with similar experiments in other areas such as Latin America and Eastern Europe. For this reason, it deserves to be read and referenced by media and MENA scholars as well as anyone who has an interest in the changing shape of the media and democracy. (Aida Al-Kaisy, LSE Businl£á