Abstract
This chapter is a comparative analysis of the perceptions of journalists in two Arab countries, Qatar and Sudan, and aims to comparatively explore whether differences in journalism cultures—role perceptions, epistemological orientations and ethical stances of journalists- exist between the two countries. The study hypothesizes that though similar cultural orientations of the two countries may lead to similar perceptions and attitudes, politics is still an essential determinant of the role of journalism in the countries of the region. It is supported by data generated for an international study famous as the “world of Journalism Study” (http://www.worldsofjournalism.org/), which several researchers from around the world have been engaged since 2007. The study has generated considerable data that are currently being used for purposes of comparisons and research worldwide. Thus, the study in this chapter follows the necessary methodological procedures closely as described by the original study. A purposive sample of journalists from several media institutions in both Qatar and Sudan served as the framework for the study. As the central area of interest of the research was the journalists’ perceived influences on their work, the study provided a conceptualization that modeled diversity in journalistic cultures regarding three constituents: institutional roles, journalistic epistemologies, and ethical ideologies. The generated data helped the comparison and analysis of the attitudes of Qatari and Sudanese journalists toward their profession.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Works Cited
Abdel Malik, M. (1980). Press and Politics in Sudan. Khartoum: University of Khartoum Press.
Amin, H. (2002). Freedom as a Value in Arab Media: Perceptions and Attitudes among Journalists (pp. 125–135). Published online: 10 November 2010. Accessed: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10584600252907407.
Christians, C., Glasser, T., McQuail, D., Nordenstreng, K., & White, R. (2009). Normative Theories of the Media: Journalism in Democratic Societies (pp. 139–218). Urbana, IL: Illinois University Press.
Cohen, B. (1963). The Press and Foreign Policy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Galander, M. M. (2000). Mass Media in Sudan (p. 2000). Kuala Lumpur: IIUM Press.
Galander, M. (2009). Press Laws and Press Councils in Sudan. In M. Y. Husain (Ed.), Media Laws and Ethics in Selected Muslim Countries. Kuala Lumpur: IIUM Research Center.
Galander, M. (2015, February 20). Towards a Media System Predictor for the Arab World. AUSACE 21st Annual Conference. Qatar University.
Galander, M. (2016, in Arabic). Necessary Illusions: The Role of Press in Politics in Sudan. In Haydar Ibrahim (Ed.), Sudan’s Independence: 60 Years of Trial and Error. Cairo, Egypt: Dar al-Hadara.
Hachten, W. (2016). The World News Prism. Sussex, UK: Wiley.
Hallin, D., & Mancini, P. (2004). Changing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hanitzsch, T. (2013). Comparative Journalism Research: Mapping a Growing Field. Australian Journalism Research, 35(2), 9–19.
Hanitzsch, T., Muchtar, N., Hamada, B. I., Hanitzsch, T., Galal, A., Masduki, & Ullah, M. S. (2017). Journalism and the Islamic Worldview: Journalistic Roles in Muslim-Majority Countries. Journalism Studies, 18(5), 555–575. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1461670X.2017.1279029. Accessed 23 April 2017.
Merrill, J. (2008). Global Journalism: Topical Issues and Media Systems. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Norris, P. (Ed.). (2010). The Public Sentinel. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
Pintack, L. (2008, July). The Mission of Arab Journalism: Creating Change in a Time of Turmoil. International Journal Press/Politics, 13(3), 193–227.
Pintack, L. (2011). The New Arab Journalist: Mission and Identity in a Time of Turmoil. New York: Tauris & Co.
Pintack, L. (2013, December). Islam for Journalists: A Primer on Covering Muslim Communities in the U.S. (Digital Newsbooks, Reynolds Journalism Institute).
Rugh, W. (2004). Mass Media in the Arab World. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Salih, M. (1971). Half a Century of the Sudanese Press. Khartoum: Khartoum University Press.
Seib, P. (2008). The Aljazeera Effect. Dulles, VA: Potomac Books.
Seibert, F. S., Peterson, T., & Schramm, W. (1971). The Four Theories of the Press. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Weaver, D. H. (Ed.). (1989). The Global Journalist: News People Around the World. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Weaver, D. H. (1998). Journalist Around the World: Commonalities and Differences. In D. H. Weaver (Ed.), The Global Journalist: News People around the World. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton.
Weaver, D. H., & Willnat, L. (Eds.). (2012). The Global Journalist in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge.
Willis, J. (2010). The Mind of a Journalist. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Willnat, L., Weaver, D. H., & Choi, J. (2013, April). The Global Journalist in the Twenty-First Century: A Cross-National Study of Journalistic Competencies. Journalism Practice, 7(2), 163–183.
Further Reading
Hafez, K., & Paletz, D. (Eds.). (2001). Mass Media, Politics and Society in the Middle East. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Himelfarb, S. (2011, April 11). Social Media in the Middle East. US Institute for Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2011/04/social-media-middle-east.
Lockman, Z. (2016). Field Notes: The Making of Middle East Studies in the United States. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Galander, M.M. (2019). One Culture, Different Perceptions: The Role of Politics in the Work of Journalists in Two Arab Countries. In: Ngwainmbi, E. (eds) Media in the Global Context. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26450-5_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26450-5_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26449-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26450-5
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)