The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria

Whether in the time of war or peace, media, considered the ‘Fourth Authority’, must struggle to present the truth to the public, making no concession to any kind of authority, whether legislative, executive or judicial. This study, which adopts descriptive-analytical method, gives a brief account of...

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Main Author: Bakour Mohamad, Bachar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Teknologi MARA 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/8/79690%20The%20role%20of%20media%20in%20the%20Arab%20Revolutions.pdf
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author Bakour Mohamad, Bachar
author_facet Bakour Mohamad, Bachar
author_sort Bakour Mohamad, Bachar
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description Whether in the time of war or peace, media, considered the ‘Fourth Authority’, must struggle to present the truth to the public, making no concession to any kind of authority, whether legislative, executive or judicial. This study, which adopts descriptive-analytical method, gives a brief account of the 2011 Arab popular revolts with reference to the media's significant role in war/conflict. Then, it investigates the manipulative role played by the official and semi-official visual media during the first six months of the Syrian Revolution. As a tool in the hand of the regime, these media outlets worked on propagating the regime’s adopted narrative. This narrative depicts the non-violent protestors as terrorist gangs, and conspirators supported by foreign imperial powers. The media’s manipulative role in the presentation of events and dissemination of information falls under the following categories: misrepresenting reports; the blame game; defaming the opponent; manipulating religious discourse and polishing the image of the regime. Examples are furnished for each category. Finally, the study calls for the core values of ethical media from the Islamic perspective, providing a blueprint for those who aspire to engage in the public information sphere and to ensure reliability and credibility in their profession.
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spelling iium-796902020-04-16T02:06:48Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/ The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria Bakour Mohamad, Bachar BJ1388 Socialist ethics Whether in the time of war or peace, media, considered the ‘Fourth Authority’, must struggle to present the truth to the public, making no concession to any kind of authority, whether legislative, executive or judicial. This study, which adopts descriptive-analytical method, gives a brief account of the 2011 Arab popular revolts with reference to the media's significant role in war/conflict. Then, it investigates the manipulative role played by the official and semi-official visual media during the first six months of the Syrian Revolution. As a tool in the hand of the regime, these media outlets worked on propagating the regime’s adopted narrative. This narrative depicts the non-violent protestors as terrorist gangs, and conspirators supported by foreign imperial powers. The media’s manipulative role in the presentation of events and dissemination of information falls under the following categories: misrepresenting reports; the blame game; defaming the opponent; manipulating religious discourse and polishing the image of the regime. Examples are furnished for each category. Finally, the study calls for the core values of ethical media from the Islamic perspective, providing a blueprint for those who aspire to engage in the public information sphere and to ensure reliability and credibility in their profession. Universiti Teknologi MARA 2020-02 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/8/79690%20The%20role%20of%20media%20in%20the%20Arab%20Revolutions.pdf Bakour Mohamad, Bachar (2020) The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria. ESTEEM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5 (Special issue iCOMS 2019). pp. 93-106. E-ISSN 2600-7274 https://ejssh.uitm.edu.my/images/Vol5Feb20/ICOMS7.pdf
spellingShingle BJ1388 Socialist ethics
Bakour Mohamad, Bachar
The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title_full The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title_fullStr The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title_full_unstemmed The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title_short The role of media in the Arab Revolutions: the case of Syria
title_sort role of media in the arab revolutions: the case of syria
topic BJ1388 Socialist ethics
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/79690/8/79690%20The%20role%20of%20media%20in%20the%20Arab%20Revolutions.pdf