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Mapping Digital Media: Morocco

Bouziane Zaid, Mohamed Ibahrine

London: Open Society Foundations, Open Society Media Program (2011), 86 pp.

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Leaping Over the Firewall: A Review of Censorship Circumvention Tools

Cormac Callanan, Hein Dries-Ziekenheiner, Alberto Escudero-Pascual, Robert Guerra

Washington, DC: Freedom House (2011), 75 pp.

"Internet censorship poses a large and growing challenge to online freedom of expression around the world. Censorship circumvention tools are critical to bypass restrictions on the internet and thereby to protect free expression online. Circumvention tools are primarily designed to bypass internet f ... more

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Freedom of Expression in Yemen: A Critical State of Affairs

Rodrigo Bonilla, Andrew Heslop (eds.)

Paris: World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA);International Partnership for Yemen (2011), 30 pp.

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Digital Publishing in Developing Countries
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Octavio Kulesz

Paris: International Alliance of Independent Publishers (2011), 155 pp.

"Is it conceivable that there may be an autonomous evolution of digital publications in developing countries, entirely independent of the richest nations? What support policies could be implemented to promote the growth of this new industry and accompany traditional actors in the process of adapting ... more

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Iran und die neuen Medien: Herausforderungen für den Auslandsrundfunk = Iran and the New Media: Challenges for International Broadcasters

Mona-Maryam Emamzadeh et al.

Stuttgart: Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) (2011), 126 pp.

"Im ersten Block analysieren Vertreter der iranischen Social-Media-Szene die Rolle des Web 2.0 in Iran von seinen Anfängen bis heute. Der iranische Blogger Mehdi Mohseni umreißt die Social-Media-Aktivitäten der Parteien rund um den Präsidentschaftswahlkampf 2009 und die Folgen für die iranische ... more

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The Use of the Internet by Islamic Social Movements in Collective Action: The Case of 'Justice and Charity'

Mohamed Ben Moussa

Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, volume 8, issue 2 (2011), pp. 63-91

"The article addresses the use of the internet by Islamic social movement organizations (SMOs), focusing on the case of Justice and Charity (JC), the biggest opposition political group in Morocco. It examines the extent to which the SMO exploits the potential of the medium in collective action, and ... more

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Women Candidates and Arab Media: Challlenging Conservatism in Bahraini Politics

May Al Otaibi, Amos Owen Thomas

Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, volume 8, issue 2 (2011), pp. 135-158

"Women have yet to enter to Bahrain’s parliament despite being permitted to run for some years. With its king promoting social and economic change, the media has portrayed positive images of Arab women as professionals against a backdrop of religious conservatism. The communications strategy adopt ... more

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Global Information Society Watch 2011: Internet Rights and Democratisation. Focus on Freedom of Expression and Association Online

Karen Banks (ed.)

Association for Progressive Communications (APC);Hivos (2011), 273 pp.

"In the year of the Arab uprisings Global Information Society Watch 2011 investigates how governments and internet and mobile phone companies are trying to restrict freedom online – and how citizens are responding to this using the very same technologies. Everyone is familiar with the stories of E ... more

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Rapport final de la premiere phase de l'evaluation du developpement des medias en Tunisie: A partir des indicateurs de développement des médias de l'UNESCO

Sahbi Ben Nablia

Paris: UNESCO (2011), 59 pp.

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Changing Norms is Key to Fighting Everyday Corruption

Sabina Panth

Washington, DC: World Bank, Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP) (2011), 25, 55 pp.

"Based on CommGAP’s interactions with the global anticorruption community as well as earlier research, we were able to collate 18 representative instances (case studies) from around the world, with real-life examples of citizens coming together to speak up against corruption and social norms vis-� ... more

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Online Security in the Middle East and North Africa: A Survey of Perceptions, Knowledge, and Practice

Robert Faris, Hal Roberts, Rebekah Heacock, Ethan Zuckerman, Urs Gasser

Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University (2011), 15 pp.

"In this report we describe the results of a survey of 98 bloggers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) carried out in May 2011 in order to study bloggers’ perceptions of online risk and the actions they take to address digital communications security, including both Internet and cell phone ... more

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All the Sides of Censorship: Online Media Accountability Practices in Pre-Revolutionary Tunisia

Riadh Ferjani

Tampere: University of Tampere, Journalism Research and Development Centre (2011), 22 pp.

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Media Accountability Practices Online in Syria: An Indicator for Changing Perceptions of Journalism

Judith Pies, Philip Madanat

Tampere: University of Tampere, Journalism Research and Development Centre (2011), 24 pp.

"Media Accountability in Syria is more a question of re-defining the role of media in society than working on transparency practices or establishing self-regulation. This is due to strong state control and the mobilisation role mass media has been playing in Syria for decades. Before opening its med ... ia market for private publications in 2001 Syrian media was controlled either by the state or the ruling Baath party. Media accountability institutions like press councils or ombudspersons were simply not necessary in this concept of media and therefore do not exist. The only professional organisation, the Syrian Journalists Syndicate, did not act as a representative of independent journalists but as a representative of the regime. Additionally, as all journalists and media outlets had to work for more or less the same purpose, norms for guiding individual or organisational decisions – such as a code of ethics – were superfluous. Although these conditions still persist in major parts of the media field, news websites have particularly contributed to a shift in society’s perception of the role of media by paving the way for media accountability practices in the field of responsiveness. Even though instruments for responsiveness might be part of an economic strategy of news websites to enter and survive the news media field, news websites have introduced an audience oriented journalism approach by providing collaborative story writing or possibilities for the audience to comment on news. This is a fundamental change in role perception as mobilising media was merely meant to serve the Baath elite and its ideas. Thus, the audience as a neglected actor of accountability seems to have entered the field. In addition, news websites have added new topics to the traditional news agenda by taking the audience into account, and thus have contributed to holding the media accountable for aspects the old media does not cover. Thus, at least in some cases, media has played the role of being a watchdog over political decisions, which role media has never previously adopted. have particularly contributed to a shift in society’s perception of the role of media by paving the way for media accountability practices in the field of responsiveness. Even though instruments for responsiveness might be part of an economic strategy of news websites to enter and survive the news media field, news websites have introduced an audience oriented journalism approach by providing collaborative story writing or possibilities for the audience to comment on news. This is a fundamental change in role perception as mobilising media was merely meant to serve the Baath elite and its ideas. Thus, the audience as a neglected actor of accountability seems to have entered the field." (Summary) more

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New Media – Old Problems: Online Practices of Media Accountability in Lebanon

Judith Pies, Philip Madanat, Christine Elsaeßer

Tampere: University of Tampere, Journalism Research and Development Centre (2011), 23 pp.

"Lebanon’s media has been envied for its press freedom and high quality by many Arabs from the region for decades. After 15 years of civil war the media had quickly started to flourish again. Yet, internal and external observers have been concerned about the close links between the media and polit ... more

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Beyond State Regulation: How Online Practices Contribute to Holding the Media Accountable in Jordan

Judith Pies, Philip Madanat

Tampere: University of Tampere, Journalism Research and Development Centre (2011), 41 pp.

"Holding the news media accountable has traditionally been a task of the state in Jordan. Media laws and regulations are numerous and do not leave too much space for self-regulatory practices on a national basis. The Jordan Press Association (JPA) is the core of so-called established media accountab ... more

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The Changing Representation of the Arab Woman in Middle East Advertising and Media

Badreya Nasser Abdullah Al Jenaibi

Global Media Journal - Arabian Edition, volume 1, issue 2 (2011), pp. 67-88

"As the United Arab Emirates continues to emerge as a cosmopolitan tourist destination, the marketing of Arab images to create metaphors of hospitality and openness, even sex appeal, will continue to grow. Images of Arab women are central to the branding of the UAE in its desired role as a globally ... known brand/product/service that goes beyond normal expectations, delivering incredible luxury, all with the open arms of a warm and generous society. Consequently, the UAE advertising and media industry has created a mixed brand of western and Islamic representations of local women that is sometimes controversial, sometimes liberating. Arab women are caught in the dichotomous push-pull dynamics of rapid modernization in an Islamic state. These women will undoubtedly participate in the emergence of new gender identities, but not without resistance and obstacles, some imposed on themselves as they seek to navigate the forces of capitalistic consumerism and its effects on identity. Within this complexity, the influence of Western advertising and its potential impact on traditional versions of female Islamic identity cannot be easily reduced to a simple negative, but it is certainly the case that the classic dismemberment and fetishization of the female body is likely to intensify in Arab consumer media. This radical shift in her existential and social status will undoubtedly have deep and wide effects on the condition of women in UAE society. The status of the values and traditions of Arab-Islamic femininity and motherhood will become a matter for contestation with these commercial forces, as women appear more and more as the enablers of a more liberal and globalised value system. Many Arab women, both traditional and more liberal, are learning to navigate the dualistic pressures of living in a modern society with strong traditional values. Yet, they face a bipolar existence, at least for now. On the one hand, the image of Arab woman is being used in the public sphere to create a brand of sophistication and hospitality. On the other, women who appear publicly are still judged, sometimes very harshly. Consequently, Arab marketing to Arab women as consumers and Arab women as drivers of consumption tread between the idealized traditional Arab woman and the marketable Arab woman. The Arab woman emerges as an advertisement both for herself and her nation, while maintaining an identity of piety and a traditional role within the family. The successful identity of Arab woman will maintain a sense of piety, while being appealing to a world audience. Can global consumerism and Arab female identity find a peaceful coexistence? It will likely require Arab women’s sensibilities to negotiate this new identity from within their culture at a pace that is not threatening to the culture in general. This renegotiation will require wisdom, courage and the logic of the marketplace, a complicated territory indeed." (Conclusion, page 84) more

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Essay: International Middle East Media Challenge Cultural Imperialism Thesis

Ralph D. Berenger

Global Media Journal - Arabian Edition, volume 1, issue 2 (2011), pp. 89-109

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Audience Analysis: The Role of Journalism and Social Media in the Consumption of News in Iraq. 2011 Iraq Media Study

Washington, DC: IREX;D3 Systems (2011), 59 pp.

The IREX Audience Measurement Survey 2011 in Iraq was an ad hoc national quantitative research study on media usage, habits and attitudes of people over the age of 15, across Iraq, with a total sample size of 3,000 individuals. The total sample consists of a representative sample of 2,600 individual ... more

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Use of Social Media in the United Arab Emirates: An Initial Study

Badreya Nasser Abdullah Al Jenaibi

Global Media Journal - Arabian Edition, volume 1, issue 2 (2011), pp. 3-27

"The most popular types of social media in the UAE are generally the same as those used in other regions across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. These include social networks (Facebook), video-sharing sites (YouTube), and micro-blogging sites (Twitter), among others. UAE respondents were b ... more

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Arab Media Adopt Citizen Journalism to Change the Dynamics of Conflict Coverage

Naila Hamdy

Global Media Journal - Arabian Edition, volume 1, issue 1 (2011), pp. 3-15

Digital Publishing in Developing Countries Top Insights

Digital Publishing in Developing Countries
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