This week’s Jadaliyya “Media on Media” roundup deals with a number of issues, such as the publicised self-representation of countries known for regular attacks on media freedom.
Following the recent controversy revolving the "Muezin Bill" which would ban the public call for prayer in the Israeli-occupied territories, hackers staged a retaliation by interrupting Israel’s Channel 2 with the call to prayer.
Assafir, a Lebanese newspaper, examines "Al-Asaker," the politically-charged documentary about Egyptian conscription aired by Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera network, by analyzing the political relations between the two countries.
Egypt and Qatar have contributed their fair share of oppressive media practices. In Egypt, independent journalism is deemed propaganda and subject to punishment. Meanwhile Qatar’s decision to block its only independently-owned media outlet has left many frustrated, given Qatar’s reputation as the nation which founded Al-Jazeera.
A new Turkish research study critiques Western media’s "freecom claims," arguing that Western nations participate in oppressive media practices in a blatant attempt to justify Turkey’s own.
All of these stories and more are available below in further detail.
Media and Politics
Watch: Hackers broadcast call to prayer on Israeli TV
Source: Middle East Eye
In retaliation to the "Muezin Bill" (intended to ban Muslim public call for prayer), hackers have recently attacked a satellite broadcast of Israeli Channel 2 by interrupting regular programming with the call to prayer.
Iranian media praises OPEC deal as victory over Saudi Arabia
Source: Al-Monitor
A look at a number of Iranian media outlets’ reactions to Iran’s perceived diplomatic victory: the recent OPEC deal excluded Iran, meaning it could produce oil at higher rate than Saudi Arabia.
قرارقضائيلبنانيبإعادةبثّ "المنار" علىقمر "عربسات"
المصدر: القدس العربي
بعد القرار التعسفي بمنع بث قناة "المنار"، التابعة لـ"حزب اللّه"، اصدر قاضي الأمور المستعجلة في بيروت قراراً يفرض على عربسات إعادة بث القناة بأسرع وقت ممكن، ولكن هذه المقالة تشكك بقدرة هذا القرار نظراً لإنتقال مقر عربسات من بيروت الى عمان.
«عساكرالجزيرة»: الإعلامليسخارجاللعبة
المصدر: السفير
تلقي هذه المقالة الضوء على الأزمة السياسية والدبلوماسية القائمة بين الدولتين خاصة بعد بث فيلم "العساكر" الذي يتمحور حول الأوضاع السيئة للمجندين المصريين، مع العلم ان "قطرية" الجزيرة هي السبب الرئيسي وراء هذا النوع من الإنتقادات اللاذعة.
Culture
Reclaiming the culture of Lebanon with culture and art: reviving Hamra Street with graffiti.
Source: The Daily Arab News
Featuring a number of murals by Beirut-based street artist Yazan Halwani, this article uncovers the themes and stories behind his artwork.
Alternative charity Christmas cards show nativity in war-torn Middle East
Source: BBC
To shed light on the devastation and destruction of places like Syria, these Christmas cards take a rather "ironic" approach to show the nativity scene.
Like hero Tupac, Israeli Arab rapper’s music provokes
Source: Kuwait Times
Tamer Nafar, a Palestinian rapper with Israeli citizenship, has caused considerable controversy over the topics he raps about. His career has always been affected by the politically-charged nature of his art and position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, now more than ever.
Media Industries
ارتفاعأسعارالطباعةيعمّقجراحالصحافةالورقية
المصدر: مدى مصر
مع ازدياد حدة الأزمة الإقتصادية في مصر، الصحافة المطبوعة تعاني من انخفاض سعر صرف الجنيه المصري مقابل الدولار الأميركي. تنوي هذه المقالة طرح التأثيرات المباشرة على الصحافة المطبوعة ككل، خاصة في مقابل انتشار وشهرة المنصات الإلكترونية لدى القراء.
"أبوظبيللإعلام" و"مجموعةشبكاتفوكس" توقعاناتفاقيةبثمشترك
المصدر: Arabian Business
تقدم هذه المقالة بعضاً من تفاصيل الاتفاقية بين الشبكتين، التي ستجلب عدداً من البرامج والأفلام النوعية إلى الجمهور العربي.
Freedom of Journalists/Expression
In Egypt, journalism is a crime
Source: Middle East Eye
An overview of Egypt’s tight clampdowns on media, where the state has created a dynamic where you’re either "with us or against us.”
Qatar: Blocking of Doha News website ‘an outright attack’ on media freedom
Source: Amnesty International
An English-language news website in Qatar was recently blocked by the country`s two internet service providers simultaneously.
Doha News statement on the blocking of its website in Qatar
Source: Doha News
As Qatar’s sole independently operating media outlet, Doha News questions the intentions behind the censorship against it.
Meet the Palestinian man arrested for being sarcastic on Facebook
Source: +972 Mag
Anas Abudaabes’ satirical Facebook post on recent wildfires has led to his interrogation by Israeli authorities, who didn’t really "get the joke"---given that they were using Google translate to decipher his post.
استمرارالتضييقعلىوسائلالإعلامفيالسودانومصادرةالصحفبالجملة
المصدر: القدس العربي
تلقي هذه المقالة الضوء على عملية مصادرة أربع صحف سودانية بهدف التعتيم الإعلامي، وما يحمله ذلك من عبء مادي على الوسائل الإعلامية التي تعمل في ظل ظروف اقتصادية صعبة.
Social Media
Jordanians take to social media aiming to end domestic violence
Source: Deutsche Welle
"16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence" is a UN sponsored initiative aiming to raise awareness to domestic violence, gender equality and the LGBT community of Jordan.
Quran verses and Google Translate: Bizarre Israeli responses to Arab social media gloating over fire
Source: AlBawaba
While many articles highlighted Arab reaction to last week’s fires in Israel, this article inspects the Israeli reaction over social media.
How Twitter can empower opposition forces in authoritarian countries
Source: The Washington Post
This article uses three separate case studies from the region to say that the impact of social media usage like Ywitter, differs widely within the context it operates in.
Media Practices
Regarding the spectacle
Source: The Nation
Syrian collective of filmmakers Abounaddara is critiquing the binary representation of Syrians as either killers or victims, proposing an immediate and alternative image of Syrian society.
This is why everything you’ve read about the wars in Syria and Iraq could be wrong
Source: Independent
The absence of independent journalists from the field is leading to very unreliable reporting and coverage of both the Aleppo and Mosul ongoing battles.
Save this New York Times Sunni-Shiite conflict backgrounder while awaiting Trump moves
Source: Get Religion
According to this op-ed, the ‘Times’ fails to properly contextualize the Sunni-Shiite conflict in its coverage of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry.
10 years of investigative journalism in the Arab world
Source: ARIJ
This article celebrates the efforts that the organization has done throughout the years to empower investigative journalists calling for change by uncovering the truth in their respective countries.
شهادتنا على الموت
المصدر: منصّة "الجمهورية"
تعلّق هذه المقالة على الممارسات الإعلامية لبعض القنوات الإخبارية في تغطية الأحداث الجارية في حلب، عبر تقديم تحليل معمّق لمعاني "الصور" وأبعادها في التأثير على المشاهد والشخص الظاهر في الصورة.
فوضىالإعلامالطبي
المصدر: مصر العربية
تعلق هذه المقالة على ممارسات بعض وسائل الإعلام التي تروّج لبعض الأدوية والأعشاب الطبية دون التأكد من صحة المعلومات ومعرفة ما قد يؤدي ذلك بصحة المشاهد.
From Jadaliyya Media Roundups
Photography media roundup (December 1)
Source: Jadaliyya
This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on photography in and of the region and reflects a wide variety of opinions.
Digital Rights Derailed in Bahrain
Source: Jadaliyya Arabian Peninsula Media Roundup
A report from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
[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 theAmerican 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.]