"This case study investigates SAT-7 – a Christian independent satellite-TV network – in its context – the Middle East and North Africa – with a majority of Islamic inhabitants and traditions. It examines and describes what the actual implemented strategy is in order to do the daily work of S
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AT-7. Three sub-questions, aimed to explain the strategy in further detail, look at how SAT-7 operates, how they design their programming, and how they tell the stories of themselves. These describe strategic measures. The empirical data are two sources of evidence; I) interviews with a “pool of leaders” in SAT-7, and II) formal documentation presenting the written institutional narrative of SAT-7. This study focuses on theories of media and religion, religious programming and institutional narratives. The analysis sets out to describe, interpret and explain the findings of strategic measures done by SAT-7. The key strategic measure is being present in the region. SAT-7 is for the Middle East, by the Middle East. This presence includes crossing religious borders, including Christians – even a cooperation of several Christian denominations. An enhancement of cultural authenticity and coexistence becomes the result after taking cautious steps, never attacking, denigrating, or perhaps more important, proselytizing, others. SAT-7 presents the “love of God” – bringing hope and reconciliation to the region." (Abstract)
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"Religious channels in the MENA region are approximately 10 percent of all free-to-air (FTA) channels from 2012 to 2014. This is a relatively high share compared to many markets outside the region, such as the U.K., where religious channels only represent one percent of FTA channels. Religious chann
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els increased by 50 percent from 2012 to 2014 [...] The market structure and trends in religious content follow the region’s faith demographics. This is why Sunni Muslim channels are more numerous. At an overall market level, 88 percent of religious FTA television channels are focused on Islam content and the remaining 12 percent on Christian content. Of Muslim channels, 83 percent are Sunni and 17 percent are Shia. The region currently has no FTA TV channels dedicated to other faiths. Growth in religious channels remains driven by the Sunni Muslim sub-segment, which contributed almost half of new religious channels (12 out of 25 from 2011 to 2014). At the same time, the region is also seeing significant growth in Shia and Christian channels. Over the same period, the number of Shia channels more than doubled from five to eleven, and the number of Christian channels expanded more than four-fold from two to nine." (www.mideastmedia.org/industry/2016/religious)
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"Bullets and Bulletins takes a sobering and holistic look at the intersections between media and politics before, during, and in the wake of the Arab uprisings. It is a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic, with the research backed up by in-depth and rigorous case studies of the key countries of
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the Arab uprisings. The protests were accompanied by profound changes in the roles of traditional and new media across the Middle East. What added significantly to the amplification of demands and grievances in the public spheres, streets and squares, was the dovetailing of an increasingly indignant population—ignited by the prospects of economic and political marginalisation—with high rates of media literacy, digital connectivity, and social media prowess. This combination of political activism and mediated communication turned popular street protests into battles over information, where authorities and activists wrestled with each other over media messages. Information and communication technologies were used by both government authorities and protestors as simultaneous tools for silencing or amplifying dissent." (Publisher description)
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"This article presents a general framework for deconstructing and classifying conflict news narratives. This framework, based on a nuanced and contextual approach to analyzing media representations of conflict actors and events, addresses some of the weaknesses of existing classification schemes, fo
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cusing in particular on the dualistic approach of the peace journalism model. Using quantitative content analysis, the proposed framework is then applied to the journalistic coverage in the Israeli media of three Middle-Eastern conflicts: the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the conflict surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, and the Syrian civil war. The coverage is examined in three leading news outlets – Haaretz, Israel Hayom, and Ynet – over a six-month period. Based on hierarchical cluster analysis, the article identifies four characteristic types of narratives in the examined coverage. These include two journalistic narratives of violence: one inward-looking, ethnocentric narrative, and one outward-looking narrative focusing on outgroup actors and victims; and two political-diplomatic narratives: one interactional, and one outward-looking. In addition to highlighting different constellations of points of view and conflict measures in news stories, the identified clusters also challenge several assumptions underlying existing models, such as the postulated alignment between elite/official actors and violence frames." (Abstract)
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"Viele Computerspiele faszinieren durch die Verbindung von mittelalterlichem Ambiente und Hightech. Genau hier liegt für viele Jihadisten auch die Faszination des IS, der eine "mittelalterliche" Ordnung mit Hilfe des Internets aufrechterhält. Das Steuersystem orientiert sich am Koran, wird aber di
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gital organisiert. Das Finanzwesen beruht auf dem Zinsverbot, verwaltet aber den Staatshaushalt und die Einnahmen aus Ölexport, Antiquitätenhandel und Entführung mit elektronischen Krypto-Währungen. Das Bildungswesen sorgt für Koranlektüre, aber auch für digital kompetenten Nachwuchs - auch weiblichen. Der Propagandaapparat setzt auf die Inszenierung von Gewalt und beschäftigt dafür eine ganze Armee von Fotografen, Video-Filmern und Spiele-Entwicklern. Atwan beschreibt die Rolle des Darknet und erklärt, warum die Cyber-Jihadisten dem elektronischen "Counter-Jihad" immer eine Nasenlänge voraus sein werden. Sein alarmierender Bericht sollte allen zu denken geben, die den IS mit militärischen Mitteln besiegen wollen." (Klappentext)
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"Der Zerfall von Staaten ist eine wesentliche Bedrohung für die Bürger der betroffenen Länder und für die internationale Sicherheit. Wenn ein Staat seine essenziellen Aufgaben nicht mehr erfüllen kann, versuchen andere Akteure diese Lücken zu schließen. Aber wie kommt es dazu, dass Nationalst
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aaten zunehmend fragil werden oder in letzter Konsequenz buchstäblich zerfallen? Kai Hirschmann zeigt die Dynamik solcher Prozesse und identifiziert zentrale Ursachen: konstruierte Staatsgebilde infolge kolonialer Grenzziehungen, schwache oder delegitimierte Institutionen sowie Eingriffe von außen. Wie die Dekonstruktion von Staaten in der Praxis verläuft, beschreibt er anhand etlicher Beispiele: etwa in den Nachfolgestaaten der Sowjetunion, in den im Umbruch befindlichen Ländern der arabischen Welt, in ressourcenreichen aber künstlichen Staaten in Afrika, in stark von Organisierter Kriminalität geprägten Staaten in Lateinamerika sowie in Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union, die mit separatistischen Bestrebungen konfrontiert sind. Einen besonderen Fokus legt Hirschmann dabei auch auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Staatszerfall und Dschihadismus, wie er sich in Irak, Syrien, Jemen, Libyen, Nigeria und Somalia besonders eklatant zeigt. So unterschiedlich die Beispiele scheinen mögen, so sehr hilft seine präzise Analyse dabei, das Phänomen fragiler Staaten theoretisch fassbar zu machen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Conventional wisdom views globalization as a process that heralds the diminishing role or even 'death' of the state and the rise of transnational media and transnational consumption. Global Media and National Policies questions those assumptions and shows not only that the nation-state never left b
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ut that it is still a force to be reckoned with. With contributions that look at global developments and developments in specific parts of the world, it demonstrates how nation-states have adapted to globalization and how they still retain key policy instruments to achieve many of their policy objectives. This book argues that the phenomenon of media globalization has been overstated, and that national governments remain key players in shaping the media environment, with media corporations responding to the legal and policy frameworks they deal with at a national level." (Publisher description)
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"This is a book about free speech narratives. Stories about how imagination and rational thinking in wildly different cultures capture, imagine, and conceptualize what freedom of speech means. 1989 and 2011 are only two recent (in historic perspective) turning points when freedom of speech and freed
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om of the press emerged, or at least powerful efforts were made to support its emergence, although disheartening backlashes followed in several countries. This book also tells many other free speech narratives that emerged, or evolved outside the frames of 1989 and 2011, also with several troublesome repercussions. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the year of largely velvet revolutions (in the words of Vaclav Havel), brought freedom of speech to Central Europe and Eastern Europe. It also increased the hope that freedom of speech and democracy can prevail in more and more countries on the earth. This book examines, in some historic perspective, to what extent this hope has become reality since and prior to 1989, also in light of the Arab revolutions of 2011." (Introduction, page 1)
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"Although many observers have documented a global decline in democratic rights in recent years, people around the world nonetheless embrace fundamental democratic values, including free expression. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majorities in nearly all 38 nations polled say it is at le
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ast somewhat important to live in a country with free speech, a free press and freedom on the internet. And across the 38 countries, global medians of 50% or more consider these freedoms very important. Still, ideas about free expression vary widely across regions and nations. The United States stands out for its especially strong opposition to government censorship, as do countries in Latin America and Europe – particularly Argentina, Germany, Spain and Chile. Majorities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East also tend to oppose censorship, albeit with much less intensity. Indonesians, Palestinians, Burkinabe and Vietnamese are among the least likely to say free expression is very important." (Page 4)
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"Transnationale arabische Satellitenfernsehsender sind immer noch die meistgenutzten Medien in fast allen Ländern der Region - sei es für Informationen oder Unterhaltung. Internetmedien werden ihnen vermutlich in den nächsten Jahren nicht den Rang ablaufen können. Stärkste Konkurrenz könnten w
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ieder nationale Fernsehangebote werden, wenn diese vielfältiger berichten und gleichzeitig besser auf lokale Themen fokussieren. Dies scheint im Libanon, dem Irak oder zeitweise Ägypten der Fall. Die transnationalen Fernsehsender sind nach wie vor Motoren für Innovationen, sie entwickeln neue Formate, setzen die Standards für professionelle Erscheinungsbilder und werden durch ihre Vernetzung mit den sozialen Netzwerken zunehmend cross-medial." (Seite 48)
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"What is the role of social media on fundamental change in Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa? Online Arab Spring responds to this question, considering five countries: Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Yemen, and Tunisia, along with additional examples. The book asks why the penetration rate fo
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r social media differs in different countries: are psychological and social factors at play? Each chapter considers national identity, the legitimacy crisis, social capital, information and media literacy, and socialization. Religious attitudes are introduced as a key factor in social media, with Arabic countries in the Middle East and North Africa being characterized by Islamic trends. The insight gained will be helpful for analysing online social media effects internationally, and predicting future movements in a social context." (Publisher description)
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"Although in the decade 1995 to 2005 there was a slow but steady increase in women’s visibility in the news, the decade 2005 to 2015 has been one of stagnation. At 24% of the total, there has been no change in women’s share of news-making roles in the traditional media (newspapers, radio, televi
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sion) since 2010, and indeed almost none since 2005 when women were 23% of newsmakers. The new digital media (Internet and Twitter news) offer little comfort. Here too, women were only 26% of people in the news in 2015. Across all media, women were the central focus of just 10% of news stories – exactly the same figure as in 2000. Since 2005 the percentage of stories reported by women has been static at 37%, and there has been almost no movement in the proportion of news that challenges gender stereotypes – just 4% of the total in 2015." (Foreword, page 1)
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"We are very happy to publish the second edition of The World through Picture Books, enriched with sixteen new annotated lists. This new edition proves even more the very enthusiastic, skilled participation of librarians and the great success of this international programme. The programme deals with
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something we children’s librarians must never lose sight of, even if we are so busy with new technologies, budget restrictions, everyday work…: read children’s books and choose the best ones for our readers. And what does “best” mean? One thing it surely means is very good books from the readers’ own country and from as many other countries as possible… This is why, inspired by Kazuko Yoda’s request to our Committee for advice on the” top ten” picture books in Committee members’ countries, we launched “The World through Picture Books” programme in 2011. Librarians from fifty-two countries (or parts of countries) have made their choices which we publish here, with book presentations in the thirty-seven languages of publication, together with the English translation. Papers on picture books in several countries were presented at IFLA conferences in Helsinki, Singapore and Lyon and are on-line. Thanks to publishers’ generosity, two sets of touring book exhibitions were made, that have been shown in Finland, Japan, Korea, Italy, France, Reunion Island and Serbia. These collections are based in the National Libraries of France and Japan and are available to be booked by any country wishing to exhibit them." (Foreword)
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"Ten Arab Filmmakers provides an up-to-date overview of the best of Arab cinema, offering studies of leading directors and in-depth analyses of their most important films. The filmmakers profiled here represent principal national cinemas of the Arab world?Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine,
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and Syria. Although they have produced many of the region's most-renowned films and gained recognition at major international festivals, with few exceptions these filmmakers have received little critical attention. All ten share a concern with giving image and voice to people struggling against authoritarian regimes, patriarchal traditions, or religious fundamentalism?theirs is a cinéma engagé. The featured directors are Daoud Abd El-Sayed, Merzak Allouache, Nabil Ayouch, Youssef Chahine, Mohamed Chouikh, Michel Khleifi, Nabil Maleh, Yousry Nasrallah, Jocelyne Saab, and Elia Suleiman." (Publisher description)
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"This new study, a follow-up to 2007’s The Future of Journalism in the Advanced Democracies, includes a comparative analysis of possible alternative business models that may save the future of the quality news business across the developed, intermediate, and developing worlds. Its detailed evaluat
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ion encompasses also the different ways in which wider key issues are affecting the prospects for quality news as a core ingredient of effectively working democracies. It focuses on the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Kenya, and selected parts of the Arab World, providing a detailed crosscultural survey of different approaches to addressing these various issues. To keep the study fi rmly rooted in the “real world” the contributors include distinguished practitioners as well as experienced academics." (Publisher description)
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