Saudi Arabia Newspapers Coverage of events in Bahrain from February 14 to 16 March - Research Paper Example

Table of Contents Table of Contents Dissertation Topic 2 Aims and Objectives 2 Justification 2 Literature Review 3 Research Design 5 Methodology 6 Provisional Timetable 8 References 8 Dissertation Topic The topic of this dissertation is “Saudi Arabia newspapers coverage of events in Bahrain from February 14 to 16 March”. Aims and Objectives The main purpose of this research paper is to investigate that how the news papers in Saudi Arabia followed and covered the events in Bahrain taking place from February 14 to March 16 this year. The dissertation will include the events of demonstrations, as reported by the print media in Saudi Arabia, in Bahrain for over a month by Shiites in the pursuit of having reforms in the country and the eviction of the regime. On March 17-2011, about 1000 Saudi troops were deployed to Bahrain from Peninsula Shield Force for aiding the Bahraini authorities to get control of the local situation. This act was criticized and condemned by the Iranian authorities. The Iran’s criticism was highly opposed in the Saudi news papers by the Saudi officials. This news had three perspectives engraved in it. One perspective is that of the Saudi government and Bahraini regime, the second perspective is that of the protestors in Bahrain and third perspective is of the Iranian officials. This paper will seek to investigate that whether the print media in Saudi Arabia was biased or not in covering this story or were the Saudi newspapers manipulated by the Saudi authorities for their own interest. It will be important to determine how well the three perspectives were covered by the Saudi newspapers to convey the truth to the people. Justification News provides us with information on every aspect of life, and can relate to individuals or entire nations of people. Thus, the legitimacy of news as well as the freedom of press and speech have always been the controversial and debatable issues, particularly in a country like Saudi Arabia, which is an important and influential Islamic state governed by a Monarchy regime. News coverage in an Islamic state goes through various filters, especially if related to terrorism, extremism or other controversial topics. This compels the states to take extra measures in relation to how they want to portray their image in the media, both locally and internationally. Thus, the media in Saudi Arabia does not enjoy the freedom of press, like any other country in the Middle East, mainly due to the government pressure. The news presented to the audience in these countries goes through a substantial amount of processing, screening and editing before being delivered. Eventually, the common people sometimes only acquire a limited amount of information based on the actual reality. Despite the obstacles, journalists and reporters in Saudi Arabia strive to provide the unbiased truth to their audience. Their job is tough due to various factors and issues, notably the strict regulations and the scrutiny of print media that influences the publishing and shaping of news in Saudi Arabia. In response to these regulations, most newspapers in Saudi Arabia have looked to acquire transparency and credibility with the help of international groups including CASTOR (Circulation Audit Steering Organisation). This is a joint venture of the GCC Advertisers’ Business Group, the IAA (International Advertising Association) and the Media Agencies’ Council, formed in the UAE in 2005 with the goal of promoting the adoption of circulation auditing so to increase transparency and credibility in the print media industry. Given all this information, it is clear that the dissertation topic offers a great deal of research and investigation of the news content on the Bahrain case as published in Saudi news papers. Literature Review Saudi Intervention The military intervention by Saudi Arabia could crush the peaceful transition in Bahrain while regionalizing a domestic political struggle. It could also aggravate the sectarian conflict in Bahrain and also across the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia, along with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is reacting purportedly to double fears: one is that the famous revolt could tend towards a Shiite takeover which in turn would be parallel to an Iranian takeover. Saudis are also concerned about its own Eastern Province Shi’ites who may get inspired by the Bahraini movement. Constitution & Legislation Only Article 39, out of the 83 articles present in the Saudi Basic Law on Expression, addresses the area of the media, and it only serves to advise (or warn) the media to be courteous and not endanger the security of the state. According to Article 39, information, publication and any other type of media in Saudi Arabia shall use courteous language and shall apply their efforts to educate the nation and strengthen its unity. Any action deemed to promote division or harm, sedition of the security of the state and its public relations or detract the rights and dignity of a person shall be strictly prohibited as defined by the statues. The 1992 Basic Law did not serve as a written framework for controlling the media and did not provide any permission for free speech, association or assembly. In reality, it simply endorsed the pre-existing authority of the state to control the media according to its interpretation of Islamic Law, and dictate what it wanted to be published. Furthermore the legal system, employed to impose the prohibitions or restrictions of the monarchy, is extensively unwritten and, thus, ambiguous. Print Media The print media in Saudi Arabia is privately owned, but state control over what should and should not be published is extremely pervasive. No formal licensing procedures are in place, instead all print media—including newspapers and periodicals—are subject to royal decree. With regards news content, the Ministry of Information constantly disseminates instructions or guidelines to the print media, advising the press on the issues that are being reported by the SPA (Saudi Press Agency). Only after passing this scrutiny is a newspaper or periodical allowed or able to republish the information on an issue. The publications usually follow all such restrictions because the Minister of Information has the authority to appoint or fire editors. The 2001 report on the freedom of press in Saudi Arabia by the World Press Freedom Review stated that journalists in the Kingdom were allowed to publish reports on domestic violence and other such formerly taboo subjects or topics—including increasing unemployment—irrespective of the oppressive fear of official obfuscation of information and authoritative crackdowns. In the same year, the US Government’s report on human rights also highlighted the Saudi regime’s increased tolerance of a broader range of criticism and debate by the print media in relation to domestic issues (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2002). Research Design The dissertation will follow the structure given below: Abstract Overview of the entire dissertation. Introduction Introduction to the interest of the Saudi regime in Bahrain case including its ties with Iran. Research Problem Statement and brief explanation of the research question. Background of the Study The procedure that the news must go through before publication in Saudi Arabia. The relationship of the Saudi Arabia with Bahrain and Iran. Literature Review Overview of the major studies relating to the specified research question. Research Methodology Qualitative research methodology will be adopted through researching the news content related to the Bahrain case published in the two leading newspapers in Saudi Arabia namely, Alriyadh and Alyoum. Data Collection Data will constitute the articles about the Bahrain case published in Alriyadh and Alyoum. Data Analysis The collected articles will be analyzed for their legitimacy and biasness. Findings and Discussion The results obtained from the data analysis will be stated and discussed. Conclusion A conclusion of how accurately the Saudi news papers covered the events in Bahrain. Suggestions Solutions for the problems faced by newspapers in Saudi Arabia in trying to publish news. Methodology The study requires analysis of the news content, in two leading Saudi Arabian newspapers- Alriyadh and Alyoum, related to the events in Bahrain occurring from February 14 to March 16 this year. The reason to select these two is: firstly, I want to use Rugh description (Rugh, 2004) of the newspapers loyalty and secondly, I chose alriyadh newspaper because it represents the official press of the Kingdom as it is published in the capital whereas alyoum newspaper is published from the eastern region-the oil area where the Shi’ites are located. I will use the gatekeeping theory from mass communication in this dissertation. The news, articles and editorials published during the period of February 14 till March 16, 2011 in the above two Saudi news papers will be searched out, read and analyzed to see how the Bahrain news was handled by the Saudi press. Thorough interviews will be conducted with the news handlers at each of the newspapers, with pertinent questions including the criteria for selecting the news, the sources from which they collect it, what kind of news they prefer to publish and whether or not the selection criteria have changed over the years.It will be important to establish whether outside influences, such as the government, alter the decision of whether or not to publish certain news items such as the Bahrain protest. These two newspapers will be compared against each other, making it easier to establish how appropriate the reported news is. All of the contents in the selected newspapers will be compared with those of the print media, electronic media or both. This process will help in checking the relevance of the news media in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, both of the newspapers’ operations will be investigated from the starting point to the finished product, as it is important to know exactly what happens to the raw data obtained by the news gatherers before it is finally published as a piece of information for readers. These observations will focus on each procedure undertaken in order to modify the news, from identifying the original source from which the news was obtained to how the news is presented to its readers. Finally, the factors that influence whether a piece of news is published or not must be highlighted. Working through this methodology will make it easier to see how the news is shaped in Saudi Arabia, and whether any fabrication exists. It will also provide insights into whether the news selection criteria has changed over the years, and if being a Muslim country changes the views of those responsible for selecting news and presenting it to readers. In addition, the problematic areas will be highlighted to enable the presentation of suitable and practical solutions. It will be important to identify the kinds of problems that can be addressed, and those that cannot be eradicated from the news selection procedure. Provisional Timetable Task Time Required Writing introduction and literature review and finalising the research question. 3 weeks Deciding and stating the research methodology most appropriate for the dissertation. 2 weeks Data Collection 1 month Data Analysis 2 weeks Results and Conclusion 2 weeks References Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (2002). Saudi Arabia Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – 2001. Available online at http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8296.htm. Gans, H. J. (1979). Deciding what’s news. New York: Pantheon Books. Fishman, M. (1980).Manufacturing the news.Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. Gitlin, T. (1980).The whole world is watching. Berkeley: University of California Press. Icheiser, G. (1970). Appearances and realities.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Shoemaker, P. J. (1987). Building a theory of news content: A synthesis of current approaches. Journalism Monographs, 103. Stein, M. L. (1993, December 25). An attempt at accuracy.Editor &Publisher. Taeuber, I. B. (1932). Changes in the content and presentation of reading material in Minnesota weekly newspapers, 1860-1929.Journalism Quarterly, 9, 281-289. Gans, H. (1983). News media, news policy and democracy: Research for the future. Journal of Communication, 33, 174-184. Gitlin, T. (1978). Media sociology: The dominant paradigm. In G. Wilhoit& H. De Bock (Eds.), Mass communication review yearbook (Vol. 2). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Shoemaker, J. P., and Reese, D. S. (1996).Mediating the message: Theories of influence on mass media content.USA: Longman Publishers. Hafez, K. (2008). Arab media: Power and weakness.USA: Continuum Publishing Group. Rug, A. W. (2004). Arab mass media: Newspapers, radio, and television in Arab politics.USA: Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More