The New Arab Journalist: Mission and Identity in a Time of Turmoil

by Lawrence Pintak

Overview

The Arab media is in the midst of a revolution that will inform questions of war and peace in the Middle East, political and societal reform, and relations between the West and the Arab World. Drawing on the first broad cross-border survey of Arab jourbanalists, first-person interviews with scores of reporters and editors, and his three decades' experience reporting from the Middle East, Laurence Pintak examines how Arab jourbanalists see themselves and their mission at this critical time in the evolution of the Arab media. He explores how, in a diverse Arab media landscape expressing myriad opinions, jourbanalists are still under siege as governments fight a rear-guard action to manage the message. This innovative book breaks through the stereotypes about Arab jourbanalists to reveal the fascinating and complex reality - and what it means for the rest of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848850989
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/18/2010
Series:	Library of Modern Middle East Studies , #85
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lawrence Pintak is founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. A former CBS News Middle East correspondent who has contributed to many of the world's leading news organizations, Pintak also served as director of the Kamal Adham Center for Jourbanalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo. Previous books include 'Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens: America, Islam and the War of Ideas' and 'Seeds of Hate: How America's Flawed Middle East Policy Ignited the Jihad'.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Matter of Perspective
• Red Lines -Boundaries of Journalistic Freedom
• Satellite TV and Arab Democracy
• Media Politics and Corporate Feudalism
• Islam, Nationalism and the Media
• Covering Darfur - A Question of Identity     
• Arab Journalism in Context
• Western Ethics, Western Arrogance
• The Mission of Arab Journalism
• Journalistic Roles - Arabs, Americans and the World
• Arab Journalists Look at Themselves and the Competition
• Arab Journalists and the Arab People
• Border Guards of the New Arab Consciousness
• New Media, New Media Models
• Acknowledgments
• Endnotes

Editorial Reviews

"Lawrence Pintak remains the foremost chronicler of the interaction between the Arab and Western media world." — Rami Khouri, American University of Beirut and Editor-at-Large, The Daily Star (Beirut)

 

"This book is a unique contribution and a must read for anyone interested in media and in Arab politics." — Ambassador William A. Rugh, author of Arab Mass Media

 

"The real story in The New Arab Journalist is its serious attempt to grapple with one of the main stories of the age for Arabs and non-Arabs alike: the intractable overlap between Arab satellite TV as a new phenomenon and Arabness, as an ancient and diverse identity." — Abderrahim Foukara, Washington bureau chief, Al-Jazeera

 

"Finally, Arab journalists are given a chance to voice their views about their profession and their societal roles." — Philip Seib, Director, Center on Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California

 

"Many Western journalists have been fascinated by the Middle East, but very few are capable of telling you just how it works. The significance of the change in Arab media scene over the last fifteen years has not been fully understood. This book helps you understand – in an enjoyable way." — Yosri Fouda, Editor/Presenter, Last Word, ONTV

From the Publisher