Political Communication Research in the Middle East

Abstract

This entry identifies the typical characteristics of authoritarian media systems. The press and broadcasting institutions of the MENA region have long been the mouthpieces of the national ruling elites and restricted by different mechanisms of control like direct and indirect censorship. Due to the high interconnectedness of politics and journalism, Arab journalists have developed professional values different from those of their western colleagues. The advent of transnational media, namely Arab satellite news channels, not only impacted these role conceptions but also laid the foundations for an evolving transnational public sphere. The space for political communication was further enhanced by the introduction of social network sites (SNSs) which provided for the articulation of dissident views and political mobilization.