This week in Jadaliyya's "Media on Media" roundup highlights discussions around conflict and media in a field already exacerbated by propaganda from all warring factions. For instance, this article tackles the use of media as a tool for warfare and the role of citizen journalism--how exactly is media being exported and how do we judge what constitutes credible citizen journalism? This week’s Special is a review of a number of articles that address the deal between Israel and Facebook, which led to the rushed decision to block a number of Palestinian news pages on the platform, based on crowd reports saying that these pages incite acts of violence and must be stopped.
In the United States, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek has become the first non-white actor in eighteen years to win an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama series. Malek’s win, for playing a white American protagonist on the show Mr. Robot, prompted a conversation about the perceptions of Arabs in American media and even--given Malek’s identity as a Coptic-Egyptian--what constitutes as Arab, knowing that Arab descent are officially classified as ‘white’, despite how they are racialized in popular culture.
In Jordan, political cartoonist Naher Hattar, known for his pro-regime stance concerning Syria, was shot dead by a gunman. Hattar was shot dead on the courthouse entrance, where he was preparing to face charges for sharing a cartoon considered by some to be blasphemous on his Facebook page.
All of these stories, and more, are available below in further detail.
Media and Politics
Qatari newspapers Al-Sharq, Al-Arab offices close in Cairo
Source: Daily News Egypt
In light of recent tension between Qatar and Egypt, this article puts the Egyptian authority sanctioned shut down of Al-Sharq in political context.
Culture
Sounds of the Arab Spring at Beethovenfest
Source: Deutsche Welle
Highlighting the role music plays in connecting people from different backgrounds, this article makes it clear that artists from different parts of the Arab world have worked around their ‘local’ hurdles and hardships that, in a way, gave shape to their art.
Rami Malek: An Arab in Hollywood?
Source: Al Jazeera
Egyptian Rami Malek’s recent Emmy win has spurred conversation about the representation of Arabs in US pop culture, by raising questions based around the actor’s identity, culture, and religion.
Salamu’alaykum, Small Screen: The Complicated Role of Arabs in American Television
Source: The Mary Sue
How are Arabs portrayed in American television? This article examines three contemporary television characters.
Jordanian journalist wins Emmy award for CBS Syria documentary
Source: Al Arabiya
Amjad Tadros, a Jordanian journalist who has worked as a Middle East field producer for CBS since 1990, was awarded the Emmy for his recent documentary on Syria “A Crime Against Humanity.”
الإعلام فىعالم متغير
المصدر: جريدة الاهرام
تتحدث هذه المقالة عن مجلد صدر مؤخراً حول الصحافة في مصر وعن المراحل التي مرّت بها الوسائل الاعلامية.
Indigenous Dog: Iconoclasm makes sudden entrance, sudden departure
Source: MadaMasr
A review of "Kalb Balady," a film aimed at the Egyptian “millennial” generation, which directly breaks Egyptian taboos by employing a satirical approach toward comedic internet videos.
Wanted: Men to boycott male-only panels on Turkish TV
Source: Al-Monitor
In the post-coup environment, Turkish women are excluded from being featured in Turkey’s political media.
Media Industries
Twenty-five years on, MBC reigns as the King of Arabic TV
Source: Al Bawaba
This article is something of an homage to the legacy that MBC has left on the pan-Arab region. The writer recalls a number of milestones the network achieved, as well as MBC’s contribution to a shift in the Arab media scene.
Al Jazeera English expands digital access to the US
Source: Al Jazeera
Qatari owned Al Jazeera decides to return to the US market by making its content available on a number of digital platforms for free.
The Growth of the Syrian Media and Reliable Voices
Source: Syria Deeply
By providing a summary of the field of citizen journalism in Syria, this article aims to shed light on alternative media outlets that have risen up during the Syrian war to fill the gap in the information link.
Freedom of Journalists/Expression
Do press freedoms exist in the Middle East?
Source: The MediaLine
This article provides an extensive overview of the state of journalism in the region, stressing the mounting pressures that journalists face while on duty.
Canadian firm sells Bahrain software used to censor Internet
Source: Middle East Eye
This article shows how the Bahraini government is using a ‘Netsweeper’ system to control the public’s access to online content. It builds on the findings of a recent report issued by the University of Toronto’s Citizenlab, linked in the article.
إسلام جاويش ل"المونيتور": تجربة احتجازي لن تعيقني...وسأظل ساخراً
المصدر: المونيتور
نظراً لطريقته الساخرة واللاذعة في انتقاد السلطة في مصر، قامت الأخيرة بإعتقاله على تهمة "ادارة صفحة فيسبوك من دون رخصة."
التحريض والإهمال والتواطؤ: كيف وصلنا الى اغتيال حتّر
المصدر: مدونة حبر
تطرح هذه المقالة بعض التساؤلات حول جريمة إغتيال الصحافي ناهض حتّر، موجهة بعض "العتب" نحو الجهات المسؤولة التي كان عليها تأجيج الغضب وفرض سلطة القانون.
Save Israeli apartheid, says New York Times ad
Source: Electronic Intifada
Commenting a recently published full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the ongoing apartheid against the Palestinians, this article raises questions about racism and ethnic cleansing in the name of ‘liberal racism.
Social Media
Iranian mother and daughter defy fatwa on women cycling in video message
Source: The Independent
In light of a ‘controversial’ video of two women riding a bike in Tehran, this article protests the state’s decision to ban bicycle riding for women by making a plea for equality and freedom.
Media Practices
Israeli shooting of Palestinians: The media need to check the facts
Source: Middle East Eye
Mainstream western media does not think twice before adopting the Israeli point of view in their coverage of events.
Press blame game over Syrian truce breakdown
Source: BBC News
In light of the recent failed ceasefire in Syria, this article deals with how press in the Middle East has reacted by drawing comparisons between outlets based on their political affiliations.
Fanning the flames: Reporting on terror in a networked world
Source: Columbia Journalism Review
This paper seeks to study the relationship between journalism and terrorism, by identifying trends, problems, and best practices for more constructive journalism which covers terrorism.
The ISIS model of content and social media is very powerful - but also very familiar
Source: Huffington Post
ISIS has managed to take advantage of modern communication technologies to perpetuate an ideology among online users, making the fight against its ideology more difficult to infiltrate.
Special Topic: The Facebook-Israel Deal
Facebook 'blocks accounts' of Palestinian journalists
Source: Al Jazeera
After the recent ‘agreement’ between Facebook and Israel, this article sheds light on the crackdown on several Palestinian advocacy pages, blocking them in the process.
Facebook apologizes for disabling Palestinian journalists’ accounts
Source: Electronic Intifada
‘Quds’ and ‘Shehab News Agency’ are some of the very few Palestinians accounts that got reopened after many being closed on assumptions of inciting acts of violence and terrorism, violating Facebook’s terms of usage policies.
Facebook 'blocks' accounts of seven Palestinian journalists
Source: Independent
This article argues that the recent ‘agreement’ between the social media mogul and the Israeli government is being utilized as a censorship tool that aims to take away whatever is left of Palestinian legitimacy and freedom, even online.
From Jadaliyya Media Roundups
Brief reflections on Assassinations and Intolerance in Jordan
Source: Jadaliyya
This article looks at the implications of Hattar’s recent assassination by reflecting on the polarized views when it comes to freedom of expression.
من قاطعوا الى غوغل بلاي
المصدر: Palestine Media Roundup
بيان صادر عن مبرمجي تطبيق قاطعوا إلى متجر غوغل بلاي بسبب حذف التطبيق.
تونس تحيي اليوم الوطني لحماية الصحفيين
المصدر: Maghreb Media Roundup
Human Rights organizations remember disappeared journalists Sofian Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari on the National Day for the Protection of Journalists.
Journalist Ahmed Radhi Denied Leaving Bahrain
Source: Arabian Peninsula Media Roundup
The Bahraini authorities have banned dozens of opposition members and activists from leaving the country, preventing them from attending the UNHRC session in Geneva.
[The "Media On Media Roundup" is an initiative to survey published material in the news and broadcast media that deals with journalism, coverage, or mass communication practices about the region. These roundups are produced and curated in collaboration with the American University of Beirut's Media Studies Program. The items collected here do not reflect the views of Jadaliyya or the editors of the Media Page.]