The British and Saudi Media - Case Study Example

The British and Saudi Media British media now, the changes that have taken place since 1945, and differences between the British Media and the Media in Saudi Arabia The present state of the British Media The British media landscape is “large, complex and mature” (Bromley, 2009) and relatively open. The BBC and Reuters based in the UK are two internationally respected media institutions. At the same time, media organizations in the UK also have interests in other countries. The print, radio and television have a long history and are strongly developed in the UK. Newer developments are taking place in digital and online media. We shall survey different sectors of the traditional media in turn. The print media in the UK is large. There are quality newspaper such as The Times (Britain’s oldest national newspaper) usually printed in broadsheet format, and tabloid newspapers. Tabloids are classed as either mass market such as The Sun or middle market such as The Daily Mail. Many local titles are available for free usually weekly and sponsored by advertising. Although the vast majority of overall titles are of regional and local papers, the press is dominated by London and owned by a few. “The entire national newspaper press is owned by eight companies… the top four owners control 85% of the market” (Bromley, 2009). In terms of popularity, sales are on the whole declining now for two main reasons: the greater popularity of television and the availability of written content online. “In June 2004, newspaper sales were declining year-by-year by 4.7%” (Cridland, 2005). To counter this, some quality titles have changed to a different size and format and making more content available online. Magazines however, are gaining in popularity and there are around 9 to 10,000 titles in print, of which a third are consumer titles. Radio in the UK is “characterized by a multi-faceted commercial presence alongside that of the BBC” (Bromley, 2009). Radio stations are no longer available only through the radio set but now also accessible be various other means and devices. It is broadcast by AM (includes MW), FM or digital platforms. The BBC World Service funded by the Foreign Office is broadcast on SW and listened to around the world. Apart from the dominance of the BBC in television offering 8 free to air channels paid for by licensee fees, most people have access to three commercial analogue networks (ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5), and numerous cable and digital channels. About 400 different channels are available in the UK with BSkyB being the major satellite operator. There are also cable television services and Freeview. “All non-BBC television stations follow guidelines laid down by Ofcom, which oversees programme content and quality, and makes sure that advertisers follow a specific and stringent code of conduct” (Elkins, 2007). The British Media Since 1945 The book (Seymour-Ure, 1999), The British Press and Broadcasting Since 1945, describes how the media in Britain developed over a 50-year period since the end of the Second World War and has a central role in our society. It shows that from the start of this period there was no such concept of ‘mass media’ until the 1960s, “there was no television [and only] about ten million households had a radio set… most people read one of nine London-edited, ‘national’ morning newspapers… [of] only four to eight pages… films were censored for decency by local authorities” (ibid, p.1-2). So, little was available and people had limited access, whereas we live now in an age of global communications, concentrations of media empires in the hands of a few such as Rupert Murdoch, and international media conglomerates. To put it in contrast, in 1995 “there was almost no escape from television” (ibid, p.2). Over the years, the size and ownership of the press (ch.3), television (ch.4) and the impact of independent channels etc. have all grown. An exception is radio, which saw a decline in popularity before reviving again. More recent developments in the media include the use of satellite, cable television and the explosive growth of the Internet (ibid, p.5). The author also highlights the relationship between the media and politics (ch.7-8) through examples of the BBC and the 1990 Broadcasting Act reforming ITV since its inception in 1955. The media serves to provide information and entertainment but there is also the issue of accountability by both the media and politicians (explored in chapters 9-10). The processes of government policymaking, lawmaking and self-regulation of the market have played an important part in shaping this media accountability. Censorship still exists; Film is still censored in the UK, “but by more liberal standards than in 1945” (Seymour-Ure, 1999, p.5). Making comparisons with foreign media A comparison of the media in Great Britain with that of a foreign country or region provides an interesting insight into how and why developments of the media differ around the world and the extent of the differences. Those who are accustomed to the British media may take their perception of what media is or how it ought to be for granted. They may even erroneously suppose it to be somehow ‘normal’ or superior. This view would be reinforced by the length of exposure to the British media in comparison to other media, so is especially true of those who have only lived in the UK and for example never watched a foreign channel, listened to a foreign radio station or read a foreign newspaper. Instead, any perceptions they may hold about foreign media will have been greatly fashioned by the portrayal in their own accustomed media. And, as media observers know very well, this could very easily be biased or distorted. A fair comparison can only be made by reading, listening or observing the foreign media at first hand for oneself, and more importantly to understand both the historical background of the other media and the cultural context within which it exists and functions. Other than that, we can rely on serious secondary research to frame our intellectual understanding. In either case, knowledge of the historical development is crucial and an appreciation of the socio-cultural context is indispensable. For example, a foreign media may only have evolved relatively recently so it would be unfair to expect it to be as diverse, independent or sophisticated as the home media. Similarly, we cannot make judgments of what is right or wrong, or better or worse, if the foreign media happens to belong to a distinctly different society. A Comparison with Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia provides an excellent example of a distinctly different society from that of the UK. Saudi Arabia differs in very significant ways from Britain not only socially and culturally but also politically and religiously. Great Britain has a multi-cultural society, though is comprised of a predominantly Christian population even if no longer so religious. And, it purports to have a free media and be a democracy. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has a highly religious and mono-cultural society with an authoritarian ruler. Not unexpectedly then, “the media in Saudi Arabia are much more tightly controlled by government than is the case in the UK” (Marghalani, 1998). Also, the religion of Islam in KSA is of the Wahabi school of thought and therefore the kingdom is characterized by a society in which men and women have unequal rights. Consequently, the numerous differences suggest that the media in the two countries are also very different. The natures of these differences are explored on the basis of notable gender differences, particularly how women are portrayed in the media including advertising, and a look at the founding of Al-Jazeera. The latter provides a case in point of cultural, political and other differences, and also highlights the relationship between the UK and KSA media. Saudi Arabia has far fewer television channels than Britain. There are Saudi TV Channels One and Two, and satellite channels Al-Arabiyya, Al-Ekhbariyya, and a few MBC channels amongst others. My favourite though is Al-Fajr TV because it focuses on the reading of the Holy Quran, discusses its interpretation and related sciences, and presents the subjects in an attractive way. For most people however, Saudi TV is the most popular. In the UK, I am not restricted by what I can watch but in the KSA there are certainly restrictions. It is not so easy to gain access to the satellite channels either and the whole media-viewing atmosphere is very different from here in the UK. It is also of a generally lower quality being less sophisticated but then development of the media in KSA is relatively new. Satellite television only became available in the past few years. The print media is very biased on the whole and only supports the government line. It is difficult for journalists in KSA to express their views openly and they often become the target of the religious police. It is not like in the UK where the government can be criticized. For theses reasons, none of the types of media in KSA in fact can be taken seriously. In terms of the appearance of women on television, there is a stark contrast between the UK and KSA media and in this case it owes to differences in the moral and legal systems of the two countries. Whereas there are no restrictions on how women dress on television in the UK as long as it doesn’t fall into the domain of obscenity, the permit in KSA is much narrowly defined. In fact, women are prescribed a certain form of dress and required to cover certain parts of the body. Traditionally, Saudi laws “prohibit showing women dancing, singing, or making news broadcasts… and ban any Saudi woman from appearing on television under all circumstances” (Reuters, 2009). Such differences as mentioned above also have an effect on what would be acceptable in media advertising and how effective it would be. A study of the media advertising culture in KSA is of significance because according to the Arab Research Centre Report (UAE Interact, 2007), after UAE it is the second most lucrative market in the Arab world. There is also a thriving trade between the UK and the KSA. A content analysis methodology using samples of 164 television advertisements from both countries between 2000 and 2001 was applied in a research study. It aimed to compare how men and women are represented in these. The results showed that: Men and women were equally visually represented as lead characters in advertisements in both countries, but male voice-overs dominated in Saudi advertisements more so than in British advertisements. Women appeared more often in domestic roles and settings and less often in occupational or leisure roles and settings, and were much more likely than men to promote body care and household cleaning products. These differences were more pronounced in Saudi than in British advertisements. (Atif, 2008) The case of Al-Jazeera Although not a Saudi channel, the way Qatar’s Al-Jazeera was founded provides a fascinating glimpse into the different media worlds of the UK and KSA as well as the relationship and connection between them. In the mid 1990s, a Saudi prince set up Orbit, a satellite television company, which together with the BBC established an Arabic BBC news service in London. Initially the project grew successfully but eventually, “a blistering row in 1996 proved cultural differences in this instance to be insurmountable” (Miles, 2005). At the heart of the matter was Saudi’s intolerance for anything critical of the Saudi royal family and Orbit’s preference for censoring broadcasts against BBC’s insistence on complete and independent editorial control. This even led to tensions between the British and Saudi governments over deportations and arms deals (thus pointing out the relation between the media and politics). After the collapse of the project, about half of the staff joined the newly emerging Al-Jazeera to enjoy working on a channel without any reservations, and which moreover continues to have a much greater impact on the Arab world. Arab speaking people including Saudis now have access to an independent voice from their normal state run propaganda channels, and the English service allows the same for English speaking people to know what is really going on in the Middle East, and also for non-Arabs to get the true Arab perspective on world news. Personal Reflections on both media In KSA, although newspapers are privately owned they are government regulated and even subsidized. Television and radio companies are state owned. The law ensures that media’s role fits in with the aims of the government and does not offend Islam. Recently however, there have been some important changes and the Internet especially has been very difficult for the government to control. Saudi media has thus developed and progressed much more slowly than the British media. The few changes coming about in society are largely a consequence of the events of 9/11 in America as well as the nature of satellite television and the Internet. “For the first time it began to examine issues that had once been hidden… Journalists and newspapers have begun to tackle taboo subjects… This type of coverage was not in evidence over the last decade.” (Usher, 2006). Censorship is still strong but the authorities are being challenged more than ever before, and there is a growing “conflict between those pursuing limited reform in the government and the conservative religious establishment that sees such changes as a threat.” (ibid) I believe the media will thus play a key role in bringing about social change in the KSA. It is a welcome change from one function of the media to another viz. the information function during the Faisal era, to the ‘conservative factor’ to reinforce the status quo, to “a promoter of social change” (Beling, 1980, p.135-137). The essential difference between the media in the UK and KSA then is a difference of maturity. Culture has a large bearing on how media matures, but as the growth of satellite and the Internet demonstrate, the increasingly globalised world we live in will override these factors to shape the media of tomorrow. The only concern however is of how the media as a whole gets concentrated because that determines how free or manipulated the media will be, which in turn has an influence on public thought and opinion. The UK media is an example of a more developed media but it is not completely independent, is concentrated in a few hands, is not without bias, and is blurring the distinction between culture and commerce. These facts must be kept in mind when making any comparisons with other foreign media. Bibliography Atif Nassif and Barrie Gunter. (2008) Gender Representation in Television Advertisements in Britain and Saudi Arabia. Sex Roles. Vol. 58, No’s 11-12, June 2008, pp. 752-760. Springer Netherlands. Beling, Willard A. (1980) King Faisal and the modernization of Saudi Arabia. (Saudi Mass Media and Society). California: Taylor & Francis. Bromley, Michael. (2009) Media Landscape – United Kingdom: Introduction. European Journalism Centre. http://www.ejc.net/media_landscape/article/united_kingdom/ [27 April 2009]. Cridland, James and Hopkins, Joff. (2005) An introduction to newspapers in the UK. Media UK. http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/An_introduction_to_newspapers_in_the_UK [27 April 2009]. Elkins, Chrisotopher. (2007) An introduction to UK television. Media UK. http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/An_introduction_to_UK_television [27 April 2009]. Marghalani, Khaled. (1998) Qtd. In Atif, 2008. Miles, Hugh. (2005) Al Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged The World. London: Abacus. Pearson, Chris. (2009) Mass Media, Popular Culture and Social Change in Britain since 1945. Reuters. (2009) Saudi clerics attack media policy amid reform push. Reuters News. 23 March 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLN387568 [27 April 2009]. Seymour-Ure, Colin. (1999) The British Press and Broadcasting Since 1945, 2nd Edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. UAE Interact. (2007) UAE advertising spend crosses US$1 billion in ’06. UAE Interact. http://uaeinteract.com/docs/UAE_advertising_spend_crosses_US$1_billion_in_’06/23896.htm [27 April 2009]. Usher, Sebastian. (2006) Pressures build on Saudi media. BBC World News, 9 June 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5057106.stm [27 April 2009]. Read More