Al-Jazeera's "Double Standards" in the Arab Spring

"Zainab Abdul-Nabi presents a novel and critical perspective on some of the most significant global news coverage of recent times, by the Al Jazeera English and Arabic channels of the 'Arab Spring' and the Syrian civil war. The rich interweave of data from multiple sources, with fresh theoretical perspectives including creative use of the Peace Journalism model, makes this an important original contribution to the scholarship of both journalism and the events on which it reports." -Annabel McGoldrick, PhD, Dip. Psych., MA Psychotherapy, MBACP (Accred), Accredited EMDR Consultant (UK & Australia). This book finds that Al-Jazeera's coverage of Bahrain and Syria has conformed with Qatar's foreign policy, throughout the last decade (2011-2021). Al-Jazeera Arabic adopted Qatar's "double standards" policy in both countries in the beginning of the Arab Spring, framing Bahrain's protests as a "sectarian movement," while depicting the Syrian armed conflict as a legitimate "revolution" (2011-2013). The book observes that when ties between Qatar and Bahrain worsened during the 2017 Gulf crisis, Al-Jazeera Arabic has shifted its coverage from being "pro-Bahraini regime" to "pro-protesters," focusing on violations and giving voice to activists (2014-2021). The book concludes that the lack of "Peace Journalism" framing in Al-Jazeera's coverage of Bahrain's uprising and Syria's chemical weapons attacks has represented "claims" as "facts," and justified military action against Syria. It also reveals distinctive differences between Al-Jazeera Arabic and English, with the former lacking "objective reporting standards," and using more sectarian language than the latter. Zainab Abdul-Nabi received her PhD from the University of Sydney (USYD) in 2017 and has taught Media courses at the USYD and University of New South Wales (UNSW). Zainab published her latest research articles in: Global Media and Communication, PeaceReview, New Media and Society, and Arab Media and Society.

Auteur

Zainab Abdul-Nabi received her PhD from the University of Sydney (USYD) in 2017 and has taught Media courses at the USYD and University of New South Wales (UNSW). Zainab published her latest research articles in: Global Media and Communication, Peace Review, New Media and Society, and Arab Media and Society.