"The aim of this article is to introduce and examine the work of Christian media, mainly the satellite television channels, in the Middle East. The reason for focussing only on the satellite channels is because the television channels are still the main players and have attracted more attention, esp
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ecially since television programs have adapted multi-layered media platforms. As a result their audience can choose when and how to view their preferred programs. Therefore, in this paper, firstly, I will briefly describe the general understanding of the function of media technology in the Middle East. Secondly, the Arabic and Farsi Christian channels will be introduced together with their functions. Thirdly, the importance of Christian media will be discussed in three segments: Christian manifestation in the region; a voice for peace, hope and healing; an alternative belief system for the disillusioned and seekers. This section will also give a critique of the work of Christian channels. I will conclude that Christians, as well as the region, are in need of hearing the voice of Christ who speaks of hope, faith and love in order to bring peace into the devastated Middle East. It follows that Christian media have a great opportunity and responsibility to present voices of hope and courage, to restore the forgotten history of Christ within the cultures of the Middle East, and to disciple the seekers of the truth." (Abstract)
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"Conventional wisdom views globalization as a process that heralds the diminishing role or even 'death' of the state and the rise of transnational media and transnational consumption. Global Media and National Policies questions those assumptions and shows not only that the nation-state never left b
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ut that it is still a force to be reckoned with. With contributions that look at global developments and developments in specific parts of the world, it demonstrates how nation-states have adapted to globalization and how they still retain key policy instruments to achieve many of their policy objectives. This book argues that the phenomenon of media globalization has been overstated, and that national governments remain key players in shaping the media environment, with media corporations responding to the legal and policy frameworks they deal with at a national level." (Publisher description)
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"This study provides a snapshot of refugees’ experiences regarding communication and information at different points on their journey. It examines the communication behaviours and priority information needs of refugees in three areas: on their journey, in “transit” camps in Greece, and in Germ
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any, for those who have reached this key destination country for refugees. The research consists of interviews with refugees and with humanitarian agency officials in Greece and Germany. The study examines how refugees access and use information, and presents the concerns and challenges faced by humanitarian agencies in addressing their needs. A total of 66 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq participated in the qualitative study in formal and informal camps in Greece. An additional 13 interviews took place in Germany – capturing the voices of those who had completed their journey. A total of 16 focus group discussions were also conducted. Participants were asked to tell the story of their journey so far, focusing particularly on the information and communication they needed and used at different stages. In-depth interviews with 41 humanitarian actors in Greece and four in Germany captured their understanding of refugees’ communication needs." (Executive summary)
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"Der junge Deutsch-Araber Jaafar Abdul Karim ist ein Star im arabischen Programm der Deutschen Welle. Simone Schlindwein, Afrika-Korrespondentin der taz, sprach mit ihm über Journalismus in Zeiten der Radikalisierung im In- und Ausland." (Seite 30)
"Citizen Media and Public Spaces presents a pioneering exploration of citizen media as a highly interdisciplinary domain that raises vital political, social and ethical issues relating to conceptions of citizenship and state boundaries, the construction of publics and social imaginaries, processes o
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f co-optation and reverse co-optation, power and resistance, the ethics of witnessing and solidarity, and novel responses to the democratic deficit. Framed by a substantial introduction by the editors, the twelve contributions to the volume interrogate the concept of citizen media theoretically and empirically, and offer detailed case studies that extend from the UK to Russia and Bulgaria and from China to Denmark and the liminal spaces within which a growing number of refugees now live. A rich new domain of scholarship and practice emerges out of the studies presented. Citizen media is shown to embrace both physical and digital interventions in public space, as well as the sets of values and agendas that influence and drive the practices and discourses through which individuals and collectives position themselves within and in relation to society and participate in the creation of diverse publics." (Publisher description)
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"Offers up-to-date insights into the state of library and information science (LIS) in the Middle East and North Africa. Covered topics include information literacy, intellectual property, LIS education and research, publishing and more. This timely contribution thus presents vital areas of research
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on a region that receives relatively little coverage and is currently experiencing rapid and significant changes." (Publisher description)
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"This study identified three local or subregional incidents that led to heated debates on Twitter: a video shared on Twitter of the sexual assault of a woman on Cairo’s Tahrir Square in June 2014, anti-fracking protests in southern Algeria in early 2015, and Saudi Arabia’s military intervention
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in Yemen in March 2015 [...] By closely tracing how Twitter debates on these three issues unfolded and conducting interviews with agenda setters for these debates, this study sheds light on Twitter’s role in important social and political discussions as well as on the scope and patterns of Twitter networks. In other words, it highlights the various ways Twitter is being utilized by ordinary people, activists, media outlets, and officials, and it provides an idea of the political impact they can have via Twitter." (Page 5)
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"Although in the decade 1995 to 2005 there was a slow but steady increase in women’s visibility in the news, the decade 2005 to 2015 has been one of stagnation. At 24% of the total, there has been no change in women’s share of news-making roles in the traditional media (newspapers, radio, televi
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sion) since 2010, and indeed almost none since 2005 when women were 23% of newsmakers. The new digital media (Internet and Twitter news) offer little comfort. Here too, women were only 26% of people in the news in 2015. Across all media, women were the central focus of just 10% of news stories – exactly the same figure as in 2000. Since 2005 the percentage of stories reported by women has been static at 37%, and there has been almost no movement in the proportion of news that challenges gender stereotypes – just 4% of the total in 2015." (Foreword, page 1)
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"We are very happy to publish the second edition of The World through Picture Books, enriched with sixteen new annotated lists. This new edition proves even more the very enthusiastic, skilled participation of librarians and the great success of this international programme. The programme deals with
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something we children’s librarians must never lose sight of, even if we are so busy with new technologies, budget restrictions, everyday work…: read children’s books and choose the best ones for our readers. And what does “best” mean? One thing it surely means is very good books from the readers’ own country and from as many other countries as possible… This is why, inspired by Kazuko Yoda’s request to our Committee for advice on the” top ten” picture books in Committee members’ countries, we launched “The World through Picture Books” programme in 2011. Librarians from fifty-two countries (or parts of countries) have made their choices which we publish here, with book presentations in the thirty-seven languages of publication, together with the English translation. Papers on picture books in several countries were presented at IFLA conferences in Helsinki, Singapore and Lyon and are on-line. Thanks to publishers’ generosity, two sets of touring book exhibitions were made, that have been shown in Finland, Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Reunion Island and Serbia. These collections are based in the National Libraries of France and Japan and are available to be booked by any country wishing to exhibit them." (Foreword)
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"This is a book about free speech narratives. Stories about how imagination and rational thinking in wildly different cultures capture, imagine, and conceptualize what freedom of speech means. 1989 and 2011 are only two recent (in historic perspective) turning points when freedom of speech and freed
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om of the press emerged, or at least powerful efforts were made to support its emergence, although disheartening backlashes followed in several countries. This book also tells many other free speech narratives that emerged, or evolved outside the frames of 1989 and 2011, also with several troublesome repercussions. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the year of largely velvet revolutions (in the words of Vaclav Havel), brought freedom of speech to Central Europe and Eastern Europe. It also increased the hope that freedom of speech and democracy can prevail in more and more countries on the earth. This book examines, in some historic perspective, to what extent this hope has become reality since and prior to 1989, also in light of the Arab revolutions of 2011." (Introduction, page 1)
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"Although many observers have documented a global decline in democratic rights in recent years, people around the world nonetheless embrace fundamental democratic values, including free expression. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majorities in nearly all 38 nations polled say it is at le
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ast somewhat important to live in a country with free speech, a free press and freedom on the internet. And across the 38 countries, global medians of 50% or more consider these freedoms very important. Still, ideas about free expression vary widely across regions and nations. The United States stands out for its especially strong opposition to government censorship, as do countries in Latin America and Europe – particularly Argentina, Germany, Spain and Chile. Majorities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East also tend to oppose censorship, albeit with much less intensity. Indonesians, Palestinians, Burkinabe and Vietnamese are among the least likely to say free expression is very important." (Page 4)
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"What is the role of social media on fundamental change in Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa? Online Arab Spring responds to this question, considering five countries: Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, and Tunisia, along with additional examples. The book asks why the penetration rate fo
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r social media differs in different countries: are psychological and social factors at play? Each chapter considers national identity, the legitimacy crisis, social capital, information and media literacy, and socialization. Religious attitudes are introduced as a key factor in social media, with Arabic countries in the Middle East and North Africa being characterized by Islamic trends. The insight gained will be helpful for analysing online social media effects internationally, and predicting future movements in a social context." (Publisher description)
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"Ten Arab Filmmakers provides an up-to-date overview of the best of Arab cinema, offering studies of leading directors and in-depth analyses of their most important films. The filmmakers profiled here represent principal national cinemas of the Arab world―Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestin
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e, and Syria. Although they have produced many of the region's most-renowned films and gained recognition at major international festivals, with few exceptions these filmmakers have received little critical attention. All ten share a concern with giving image and voice to people struggling against authoritarian regimes, patriarchal traditions, or religious fundamentalism―theirs is a cinéma engagé. The featured directors are Daoud Abd El-Sayed, Merzak Allouache, Nabil Ayouch, Youssef Chahine, Mohamed Chouikh, Michel Khleifi, Nabil Maleh, Yousry Nasrallah, Jocelyne Saab, and Elia Suleiman." (Publisher description)
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"Transnationale arabische Satellitenfernsehsender sind immer noch die meistgenutzten Medien in fast allen Ländern der Region - sei es für Informationen oder Unterhaltung. Internetmedien werden ihnen vermutlich in den nächsten Jahren nicht den Rang ablaufen können. Stärkste Konkurrenz könnten w
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ieder nationale Fernsehangebote werden, wenn diese vielfältiger berichten und gleichzeitig besser auf lokale Themen fokussieren. Dies scheint im Libanon, dem Irak oder zeitweise Ägypten der Fall. Die transnationalen Fernsehsender sind nach wie vor Motoren für Innovationen, sie entwickeln neue Formate, setzen die Standards für professionelle Erscheinungsbilder und werden durch ihre Vernetzung mit den sozialen Netzwerken zunehmend cross-medial." (Seite 48)
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"This new study, a follow-up to 2007’s The Future of Journalism in the Advanced Democracies, includes a comparative analysis of possible alternative business models that may save the future of the quality news business across the developed, intermediate, and developing worlds. Its detailed evaluat
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ion encompasses also the different ways in which wider key issues are affecting the prospects for quality news as a core ingredient of effectively working democracies. It focuses on the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Kenya, and selected parts of the Arab World, providing a detailed crosscultural survey of different approaches to addressing these various issues. To keep the study fi rmly rooted in the “real world” the contributors include distinguished practitioners as well as experienced academics." (Publisher description)
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"Examining the opportunities presented by the real-time generation of new, relatively unregulated content online, Uncommon Grounds evaluates the prominent role that new media has come to play in artistic practices – and social movements – in the Arab world today. Analysing alternative forms of c
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reating, broadcasting, publishing, distributing and consuming digital images, this book also enquires into a broader global concern: does new media offer a ‘democratisation’ of – and a productive engagement with – visual culture, or merely capitalise upon the effect of immediacy at the expense of depth? Featuring full-colour artists’ inserts, this is the first book to extensively explore the degree to which the grassroots popularity of Twitter and Facebook has been co-opted into mainstream media, institutional and curatorial characterisations of ‘revolution’ – and whether artists should be wary of perpetuating the rhetoric and spectacle surrounding political events." (Publisher description)
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"The Mapping Digital Media research confirms that digital television and the internet have had a radical impact on media businesses, journalists, and citizens at large. As might be expected, platforms distributing journalism have proliferated, media companies are revamping their operations, and citi
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zens have access to a cornucopia of news and information sources. Other findings were less foreseeable: digitization has brought no pressure to reform state broadcasters, less than one-third of countries found that digital media have helped to expand the social impact of investigative journalism, and digitization has not significantly affected total news diversity. The Global Findings reveal other common themes across the world: Governments and politicians have too much influence over who owns, operates, and regulates the media. Many media markets are rife with monopolistic, corrupt, or untransparent practices. It’s not clear where many governments and other bodies get their evidence for changes or updates to laws and policies on media and communication. Media and journalism online offer hope of new, independent sources of information, but are also a new battleground for censorship and surveillance. Data about the media worldwide are still uneven, unstandardized, and unreliable, and are often proprietary rather than freely accessible." (Website Open Society Foundations)
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