Stephen Marmura tries to explain the persistence of mistaken beliefs about 9/11 and about the rationale for invading Iraq among the US and Egyptian publics, concluding that memories and long-term discourses sometimes outweigh short-term media effects.
Read More »Financial Crisis in the UAE – A Paralysis of Analysis
The financial crisis in the United Arab Emirates has tested the limits of media freedom in the country, and many of the participants, especially government and the media, have fallen short..Sam Potter describes how the local press in the UAE has handled the financial crisis and wonders how long the practice of self-censorship can continue when alternative sources of information are so readily available
Read More »Iraq: A Diverse Media
David A. Rousu argues that Iraq now qualifies as having a diverse media, despite some government ownership and occasional instances in which the authorities have used legal provisions against media organizations .
Read More »Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Tale of Two Media Covering Conflict in Yemen
Anne Hagood says that at least on the media front Iran and Saudi Arabia have been fighting a proxy war in northern Yemen, taking advantage of the Houthi rebellion to promote their political visions to the detriment of their geostrategic competitors.
Read More »Defining the Boundaries of Acceptable Speech in Syria
Leah Caldwell looks at the travails of Syrian cleric Abdul Rahman Kuki and what his trial means for what public figures in Syria can say, and what indeed they must say
Read More »Cyber infidelity in Egypt’s virtual world
Ingrid Wassman reports on the effects the Internet, satellite television, and other cyber technologies are having on marriage, relationships, and gender interaction in Egypt’s traditionally conservative society
Read More »Conflicting Information Strategies in the 2006 Lebanese War
Lorenza Fontana looks at how Hezbollah and Israel handled the media in the 2006 war
Read More »Book review – Shereen El Feki on two books by Marwan Kraidy
Shereen El Feki reviews Arab Television Industries by Marwan Kraidy and Joe F. Khalil, and Reality Television and Arab Politics: contention in public life, also by Marwan M. Kraidy
Read More »The Gaza War, Theater and the Big Interview
Wayne Hunt looks at media aspects of the Gaza conflict between December 2008 and January 2009, and specifically at Caryl Churchill's controversial 10-minute play entitled Seven Jewish Children – a play about Gaza. Then he speculates about an 'interview' drama to be called Frost Osama.
Read More »For the record – US House of Representatives resolution on Middle East broadcasters
The complete text of U.S. House of Representatives resolution 2278, which would penalize satellite providers that contract with broadcasters such as al-Manar and al-Aqsa. The US Senate has not yet acted on the resolution
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