This week’s Jadaliyya "Media on Media" Roundup features a host of articles about Omran Daqneesh, the five-year-old Syrian child who has become a symbol for the voices decrying airstrikes in Aleppo. British cartoonist Martin Rowson’s depiction of the situation offers a grim assessment entitled Dance of Death. The New York Times draws comparisons between Daqneesh’s picture, and its impact on discourse regarding the Syrian civil war, and that of the now iconic image of Alan Kurdi.
Meanwhile, Polimedia published an extensive compilation of the mainstream media coverage of an apparent handshake snub between an Egyptian and Israeli athlete at the Olympics.
All of these stories, and more, are available below in further detail.
Media and Politics
Middle East politics enter the Olympics when Egyptian judoka refuses to shake hand of Israel
Source: Politics & the Media
This article offers a roundup of media coverage of the recent incident at the Olympics involving the Egyptian judoka refusing to shake his Israeli opponent’s hand.
Save Lebanon`s press? Why not free it first
Source: Middle East Eye
Commenting on the dreadful status of Lebanese media outlets, this article highlights just how volatile the ecosystem really is, given that it’s a representation of the feudal style of Lebanese politics and bureaucracy.
TV host accuses British ambassador of previously working for UK intel
Source: Mada Masr
This article reports on controversial TV host Ahmed Moussa’s accusations that British ambassador John Casson is conspiring against Egypt and puts these alarming remarks within the context of a public discourse that has increasingly turned to rhetoric about foreign plots.
Jill Stein defends BDS in CNN Town Hall
Source: Mondoweiss
Mondoweiss reports on Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein’s positive take on BDS and the US-Israel alliance, noting that her stance left CNN moderator Chris Cuomo rather defensive.
Culture
Online registration now open for 13th Dubai International Film Festival
Source: MENAFN
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) announced today that online registration is now open for media, industry and students for the 13th edition of the Festival, which will run from Wednesday, 7th December until Wednesday, 14th December.
`Turkish James Bond` to take on coup plotters in new film
Source: Middle East Eye
A new Turkish film ‘Valley of the Wolves - Coup’, was already in the making before the July 15th attempted coup. The film is causing quite the buzz, leading the writers to question whether the Turkish government already had intelligence on the coup.
NU-Q treatise throws new light on Arab media trends
Source: Gulf Times
Joe F Khalil at Northwestern University-Qatar has joined the ranks of those few scholars whose research has received attention by the press. This article comments on an article he published in a special edited section of the International Journal of Communication.
‘Tickling Giants’ Film Review: Bassem Youssef, Sara Taksler Charm & Inspire
Source: Lima Charlie News
This article comments on a new documentary about satirist Bassem Youssef titled ‘Tickling Giants,’ featuring an interview with the filmmaker.
5 movies a Sisi supporter recommends for his president
Source: Mada Masr
The writer of this article was inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser to suggest a short list of films for current president Sisi that might change his view of political life, and give him new and creative ideas to help him with the heavy burdens of rule.
مهرجان الأردن للإعلام العربي ينطلق الاثنين بعنوان النهضةالعربية
المصدر: صحيفة الدستور الاردنية
أكد نقيب الصحفيين طارق المومني إن منح مهرجان الأردن للإعلام العربي بدورته الثالثة عنوان «النهضة العربية»، وتنظيمه بالتزامن مع الاحتفالات المئوية للثورة العربية الكبرى
دراسة: الإعلام يكرس صورة نمطية للمرأة
المصدر: البوابة نيوز
هذه المقالة تأكد على عدم الاستفادة من القدرات التي تقدمها المرأة في مجال الاعلام، مقارنة مع المجالات الاخرى، بحيث يعطى للمرأة وجه واحد، دور واحد، و قدرة واحدة.
Media Industries
Streaming on all screens
Source: Digital Production - ME
With VOD content on the rise in the Middle East, this piece gives empirical data and further understanding as to what is happening in the market and analyzes the constant demand for fresh content.
Egypt cuts filming fees at archaeological sites to lure international filmmakers
Source: Mada Masr
Mada Masr reports on the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry’s decision to significantly cut filming fees in a bid to not only entice filmmakers to come but to attract tourists as well.
Freedom of Journalists/Expression
Jordanian writer charged with offending Islam over Facebook cartoon
Source: The National AE
A Jordanian writer is being accused of blasphemy and distorting the image of Islam, because of a cartoon he shared on his Facebook page. While Nahed Hattar claims that the cartoon is meant to poke fun of how extremists view religion, he has been charged with ‘inciting sectarian strife and racism’ and ‘insulting religion.’
Case closed in police attack against Arab reporter: `Perp Unknown`
Source: Haaretz
The Israeli Justice Ministry has announced that it was unable to identify the policeman who, without provocation, threw a stun grenade at bystanding journalists, leading to the closure of the lawsuit since footage of the incident is available.
حظر النشر: ضرورة قضائية أم تضييق على الإعلام؟
المصدر: مدوّنة حبر
مرسوم قضائي صادر عن المحكمة الاردنية، يمنع وسائل الاعلام من نشر اي تفاصيل حول اي دعاوى جارية، تخوفاّ من تحولها لمسألة للشأن العام.
UK and Australian citizen Scott Richards held in Dubai
Source: BBC
British-Australian citizen Scott Richards has been detained in Dubai for promoting a charity for Afghani refugees, as the organization is not registered in the UAE, illustrating how pervasive and strict freedom of expression laws are in the country.
"روشتة عاجلة" لحل أزمات الإعلام والصحافة
المصدر: مصر العربية
تلقي هذه المقالة الضوء على الازمة الحاصلة في الاعلام بمصر، من الناحية التشريعية و العملانية
Deutsche Welle reviewing journalist’s comments against rights lawyer Mahienour al-Massry
Source: Mada Masr
Mada Masr report on Deutcsche Welle journalist Nagi Abbas’s startling and violent Facebook comments, in which he appears to incite violence against Egyptian human rights lawyer Mahienour al-Massry. This piece offer commentary on the situation as well as quotes from DW and journalists in the region
Social Media
Twitter suspends almost 250,000 accounts with `terror` links
Source: Middle East Eye
Efforts to halt terrorist fundamentalist groups growth over social media platforms, such as the Islamic State, continue as Twitter suspends affiliated accounts. This article comments on this practice in light of the common knowledge that there is no `magic algorithm` that identifies suspicious accounts.
Gold’s Gym terminates Egypt’s Dreamland over body-shaming ad
Source: Digital Boom
Gold’s Gym announced the termination of its contract with an affiliate gym in Egypt following a series of sexist advertisements and the ensuing backlash and outrage on social media. This article contains a selection of online reactions to the fiasco, Gold’s Gym’s press release and the controversial ads.
Video: Israelis use stun grenade in unprovoked attack on youths
Source: Electronic Intifada
A video showing Israeli soldiers attacking Palestinian youths with stun grenades has been receiving considerable attention after it was published on Ramallah News’ Facebook page. This article contains a link to the video and puts the incident in the broader context of Israeli soldiers harassing Palestinians.
Pressure mounts in Iran for law against animal cruelty after videos cause outrage
Source: Reuters
This article offers commentary on how social media have made it possible for incidents of animal cruelty to reach the public eye and form the basis of pushes for change in legislation, as is currently the case in Iran.
Defying Scottish law, football fans fly Palestinian flags during match with Israeli team
Source: Mondoweiss
Despite pressure from law enforcement, Glasgow’s football fans lifted dozens of Palestinian flags in a show of solidarity as their team beat Israeli team Hapoel Beersheba in a high profile Champions League match. The incident has received a great deal of attention online, as a result.
Media Practices
Desensitizing the masses
Source: Daily Sabah
This article argues that the ‘second-class journalism’ that characterizes Western reporting on the current political situation in Turkey ‘desensitizes’ audiences, leading them to feel that calamity and crisis is simply endemic to the region.
‘Fractured Lands’: Making sense of the unraveling Middle East
Source: World Politics Review
Commenting on the recent New York Times Magazine “Fractured Lands,” this article criticizes a few of the conclusions Scott Anderson has reached after spending a year and a half investigating in the region. [The complete article is behind a paywall]
Rigging the coverage of Syria
Source: Middle East Online
This article argues that how US mainstream media covers the Syrian civil war in a way skews the facts in a way that supports military intervention.
Stop it with the “Bikini vs. Burka” headlines. Let’s focus on women’s athleticism.
Source: Vox
Media outlets covering the Rio Olympics are directly responsible for emphasizing what Arab women athletes are wearing, rather than their athleticism and physical capabilities.
Egypt state TV orders female hosts to lose weight
Source: BBC
The article comments on the decision of suspension by highlighting the repercussions it has caused among social media users, between supporters and those who strongly disagree with such violation of the constitution, knowing that the head of Egyptian Radio and Television Union(ERTU) Safaa Hegazy is a woman and was once a TV presenter herself.
‘The Forward’ fails to find source of anti-semitism hoax that its reporter concocted (Updated)
Source: Mondoweiss
Mondoweiss slams the Jewish Daily Forward’s “low journalistic standards” and debunks a recent story it ran that claims members of Students for Justice in Palestine group are “collecting information on where Jews live at New York University among others.”
Why are so few Arabs interviewed on Israeli TV?
Source: Al-Monitor
Arabs have been represented the same way for a long time on Israeli TV, this article further elaborates on this issue while putting matters in a broader political-economic context.
الخرطوم..اختتام ورشة دور الإعلام العربي بالتصدي للإرهاب
المصدر: العربية نت
خرج إعلان الخرطوم في ختام ورشة عمل "دور الإعلام العربي في التصدي لظاهرة الإرهاب" التي نظمتها الجامعة العربية، بـ14 توصية ومقترحا لمحاربة الارهاب والتصدي له.
يديعوت: الإعلام العربي ينتقد عدم مصافحة "الشهابي" لـ"ساسون"
المصدر: صدى البلد
تعليقا على كيفية تناول الصحف العربية خبر عدم مصافحة لاعب الجودو المصري يد منافسه الاسرائيلي، تأتي هذه المقالة لدراسة كيفية ردة فعل صحيفة يديعوت احرونوت لتغطية الحدث على الوسائل الاعلامية العربية.
الإعلام الغربي.. أداة تضليل تنصاع لها الدول العربية
المصدر: البديل
الدول الغربية عرفت كيف تستغل وسائل اعلامها لنشر ثقافتها في العالم وزرع الافكار والاجندات السياسية، هذه المقالة تأتي على تأكيد ذلك بالاستعانة بأمثلة من المنطقة.
دور الإعلام في تحوير الصراعات.. سوريا نموذجاً
المصدر: The Huffington Post Arabi
هذه المقالة تلقي الضوء على كيفية قيام العناصر الاعلامية (محلية ام دولية) التغطية الاعلامية في سوريا، من الناحية التحريرية و الكتابية.
Others
US War Crimes or ‘Normalized Deviance’
Source: Middle East Online
This article comments on how US Foreign policy had been creating a culturally accepted form of human rights violation (war crimes included), by strategically framing and portraying issues on mainstream media outlets - such as the invasion of Iraq on the basis of a weapon of mass destruction threat.
Special: Omran Daqneesh
Shocked by the image of the Syrian boy in the rubble? Here`s how to help
Source: The Guardian
In response to the wave of coverage of Omran Daqneesh, the Guardian offers its readers a chance to help by listing institutions they can donate to, illustrating how profound an impact the picture of the boy has had.
How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo’s Suffering
Source: New York Times
Confused and dazed, a Syrian child, who was rescued from the rubble of his destroyed home, became an online sensation within hours of the attack. This piece analyzes the visual language of the image, drawing comparisons to Alan Kurdi’s iconic image on the beach.
Martin Rowson on Syrian airstrikes - cartoon
Source: The Guardian
British writer Martin Rowson’s grim assessment of the relentless Syrian airstrikes manifests itself in the form of a bleak cartoon which depicts world leaders as skeletons dancing, holding missiles while Syria burns in the background. Included in the picture is the now iconic image of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh covered in dust and blood after being rescued from the rubble of his home.
One photo of a Syrian child caught the world’s attention. These 7 went unnoticed.
Source: New York Times
This article aims to question the reason why Omran’s iconic image has become so popular and impactful, knowing that many pictures of injured children in Aleppo and Syria have been spread before, without having the same international resonance.
Omran and Alan: On the Limits of the Photo of the Wounded Aleppo Boy
Source: Reading the Pictures
This article puts the image of Omran parallel to that of Alan Kurdi’s, while considering it in the broader political/social context especially when it comes to how people are reacting to it – temporary empathy.
What happened when my cartoon of Omran Daqneesh the Syrian child went viral
Source: The Independent
A viral cartoon portraying the bodies of both, Omran Daqneesh and Alain Kurdi, has recently become viral after last week’s tragic events–this article comments on the spread of that cartoon in the age of Snapchat, allowing everyone to have their fifteen-minutes of international fame.
The psychological reason you care more about this kid than millions of refugees
Source: SBS
This article takes a closer look at how Omran’s image was capable of humanizing the Syrian situation, given that he’s an ‘individual’ and not just a mass of people who are suffering in an unknown land.
[The "Media On Media Roundup" is an initiative to survey published material in the news and broadcast media that deals with journalism, coverage, or mass communication practices about the region. These roundups are produced and curated in collaboration with the American University of Beirut`s Media Studies Program. The items collected here do not reflect the views of Jadaliyya or the editors of the Media Page.]