Abstract

The second Palestinian intifada and the way it was covered by the various media outlets caused a revolution in media coverage in the Arab World. Al-Jazeera TV channel emerged and gathered audiences, and regularly tuned in to catch the latest news and updates, reminding people of CNN during the Gulf War. However, no studies were conducted, that measured the impact of this channel on audiences and how it did or did not create a common public opinion among them.

This study's purpose is to testing the relationship between Media,

War, and Public Opinion. In other words, it studies the impact of Pan­Arab Satellite channels, namely Al-Jazeera satellite channel, in the recent Arab-Israeli conflict. How this channel helped or caused, one way or another, in the creation of public opinion. There hasn't been much research conducted in this field. Going through the historical phases of media in the Arab world, and how this area of the world was affected by the communication revolution. How the programming style changed, therefore how the impact varied.

Basically, the theoretical framework of this study relies on the Frame theory that aims to explain people's behaviors and how things fall into people's interest and how they would be interested, thus what creates public opinion.

The research aimed at discovering what teenagers and youths, between the ages of 15 and 26, felt when they watched coverage of the second intifada on various Arabic channels. More importantly, if they thought that the coverage by Al-Jazeera caused the demonstrations that broke out on the streets of Cairo and other Arab cities.

From the research, it was found out that many people appreciated the coverage that was done by the various Arab TV satellite channels, especially Al-Jazeera. However, it was almost unanimous that it was the TV coverage that caused the anger that was considered one of the reasons for the demonstrations that took place.

Department

Journalism & Mass Communication Department

Degree Name

MA in Journalism & Mass Communication

Date of Award

6-1-2003

Online Submission Date

1-1-2002

First Advisor

Hussein Amin

Committee Member 1

Hussein Amin

Committee Member 2

Ralph Berenger

Committee Member 3

Hassan Ragab

Document Type

Thesis

Extent

97 leaves

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

Arab-Israeli conflict

Library of Congress Subject Heading 2

War in mass media

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Call Number

Thesis 2002/71

Location

mgfth

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