Saudi Arabia vs Iran: Beyond the Sunni-Shia narrative - Rawan For Media Artistic and Production
The
long-running conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran reached new heights
this week after the kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.
The
diplomatic rupture, which has heightened tensions in the Middle East,
came after Saudi executed 47 people on January 2, including a prominent
Shia cleric - Nimr al-Nimr.
Within
hours of the death sentence being carried out, Iranian protesters
ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and started fires.
Iranian
media had depicted Nimr as a peaceful dissident, and the execution as a
provocative act. In Saudi Arabia, the national security narrative
prevailed - Nimr's execution was justified as part of its "war on
terrorism".
The
coverage in both countries and the international media, has since
played up a sectarian divide - one that pits Sunni versus Shia - however
this simplified binary fails to address the larger geopolitical issues
involved.
Talking
us through this geopolitical media battle are: Mohammed Alyahya,
research fellow at the Gulf Research Centre; Borzou Daragahi, the Middle
East correspondent for BuzzFeed News; journalist and author Azadeh
Moaveni; and Salman Aldossary, editor-in-chief of the Saudi Asharq
Al-Aswat newspaper.
Other
stories on our radar this week: In Bangladesh, a court sentences two
men to death for the murder of a secular blogger back in 2013; after
nearly four months in a Turkish prison, Vice News journalist Mohammed
Rasool has been released on bail; in Poland, the passing of a new media
law has prompted resignations from senior journalists and complaints
from press freedom groups and China has expelled a French journalist
amid accusations that her article supported terrorism.
US elections and 'horse race journalism'
In
the US, the race for the White House is well under way and some news
outlets have succumbed to syndrome known as "horse race journalism".
This is when journalists focus on candidates' polling positions rather
than their policies.
This coverage can leave voters uninformed, however for candidates doing well in the polls this can mean a lot of free publicity.
News editors tend to devote more airtime and column inches to whoever the polls say are leading the race.
The
Listening Post's Will Yong looks at the use of polls in the US
presidential election and what gets lost when outlets crunch the numbers
more than they do proper journalism.
In
the first few weeks of the year the gym can get rather crowded with all
the people trying to achieve their New Year resolutions of healthier
lifestyles and better bodies.
It
has become pretty normal human behaviour which may have been the
inspiration behind the latest video produced by a US-based health and
fitness YouTube channel called Buff Dudes.
The
video, narrated in the style of a nature documentary, is called Gym
Wildlife and looks at the other kinds of human behaviour on display in
gyms. We hope you enjoy the show!
Source: Al Jazeera
long-running conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran reached new heights
this week after the kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.
The
diplomatic rupture, which has heightened tensions in the Middle East,
came after Saudi executed 47 people on January 2, including a prominent
Shia cleric - Nimr al-Nimr.
Within
hours of the death sentence being carried out, Iranian protesters
ransacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran and started fires.
Iranian
media had depicted Nimr as a peaceful dissident, and the execution as a
provocative act. In Saudi Arabia, the national security narrative
prevailed - Nimr's execution was justified as part of its "war on
terrorism".
The
coverage in both countries and the international media, has since
played up a sectarian divide - one that pits Sunni versus Shia - however
this simplified binary fails to address the larger geopolitical issues
involved.
Talking
us through this geopolitical media battle are: Mohammed Alyahya,
research fellow at the Gulf Research Centre; Borzou Daragahi, the Middle
East correspondent for BuzzFeed News; journalist and author Azadeh
Moaveni; and Salman Aldossary, editor-in-chief of the Saudi Asharq
Al-Aswat newspaper.
Other
stories on our radar this week: In Bangladesh, a court sentences two
men to death for the murder of a secular blogger back in 2013; after
nearly four months in a Turkish prison, Vice News journalist Mohammed
Rasool has been released on bail; in Poland, the passing of a new media
law has prompted resignations from senior journalists and complaints
from press freedom groups and China has expelled a French journalist
amid accusations that her article supported terrorism.
US elections and 'horse race journalism'
In
the US, the race for the White House is well under way and some news
outlets have succumbed to syndrome known as "horse race journalism".
This is when journalists focus on candidates' polling positions rather
than their policies.
This coverage can leave voters uninformed, however for candidates doing well in the polls this can mean a lot of free publicity.
News editors tend to devote more airtime and column inches to whoever the polls say are leading the race.
The
Listening Post's Will Yong looks at the use of polls in the US
presidential election and what gets lost when outlets crunch the numbers
more than they do proper journalism.
In
the first few weeks of the year the gym can get rather crowded with all
the people trying to achieve their New Year resolutions of healthier
lifestyles and better bodies.
It
has become pretty normal human behaviour which may have been the
inspiration behind the latest video produced by a US-based health and
fitness YouTube channel called Buff Dudes.
The
video, narrated in the style of a nature documentary, is called Gym
Wildlife and looks at the other kinds of human behaviour on display in
gyms. We hope you enjoy the show!
Source: Al Jazeera
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق