Josh Rushing’s Mission Al Jazeera is cookie-cutter "celebrity bio" whose analysis of Al Jazeera and other Arab media developments relies heavily on other scholars, says Tom Scudder.

Temporary crackdown or reverting to the repressive norm? Jeffrey Black examines the politics and legal basis of recent actions against Egyptian journalists.

Can a heavy web presence boost opposition electoral fortunes? Do individualistic bloggers make it impossible to deliver a coherent message? Pete Ajemian looks at the Internet strategies of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan.

Co-Editor Walter Armbrust puts anti-Americanism in Egyptian comedy in historical and comparative perspective, arguing that current U.S. public diplomacy efforts can do little to change prevailing anti-American sentiments. (Features Video)

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation on 28 November Independent media in Sudan still faces severe challenges to pursue their right to express themselves freely, a report, "Media in Sudan at Crossroads", says. The situation, according to the report, has been worsened by the current tension …

BBC Monitoring Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency Islamabad, 30 September: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Sunday [30 September] took suo motu notice [of his own will] of the incident of the use of force and thrashing of lawyers and media persons …

Steve Tatham makes a strong contribution to correcting the record on Al Jazeera, especially in the wake of the negative publicity directed against the channel by American officials after September 11th and during the continuing war in Iraq, says Laura Smith in her review of Losing Arab Hearts and Minds: The Coalition, Al-Jazeera and Muslim Public Opinion.

Dubai is fast becoming a global media hub – but for whom? Dana El-Baltaji examines Dubai’s business-friendly media model and its implications for the future of media in the Emirates.

Cairo Cosmopolitan sets the tone and the standard for future work on the relationship between Cairo’s people and its urban space, yet it remains to be seen whether the broadly-conceived 'Cairo School’ will be taken as a bold new direction in urban studies, argues Managing Editor Will Ward.

Marlin Dick traces the origins and behind the scenes drama of the Syrian sketch comedy program Spotlight. (Features Video)