Saturday, 30 April 2011 By MUSTAPHA AJBAILI Al Arabiya
Media coverage of the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world has revived debate about what role should the Fourth Estate—in its print, broadcast and electronic iterations—play in Arab society.
While print media’s role as a credible source of information and insightful analysis has dwindled over the years—due mainly to continuing government control in most countries of the 22-member Arab League—broadcast and electronic media have emerged in the “Arab Spring” not only as sources of information but, sometimes more, as conduits or vehicles of social change.
Media coverage of the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world has revived debate about what role should the Fourth Estate—in its print, broadcast and electronic iterations—play in Arab society.
While print media’s role as a credible source of information and insightful analysis has dwindled over the years—due mainly to continuing government control in most countries of the 22-member Arab League—broadcast and electronic media have emerged in the “Arab Spring” not only as sources of information but, sometimes more, as conduits or vehicles of social change.
