"Tracing Emerging Patterns of a New Era: News, Activism and Social Media"

My book "Tracing Emerging Patterns of a New Era: News, Activism and Social Media" is officially out on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Tracing-Emerging-Patterns-New-Era/dp/1978200765/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1509263776&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=%22yomna+kamel%22

This book probes the impact of an evolving relationship between news organizations and social media-equipped activists on the coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events. By looking at disparities in news coverage, it explores possible changes in journalism practices, and detects emerging patterns, particularly pertinent to journalist-source relationship and human rights reporting. While exploring possible changes in journalism practices, this book also tries to question whether the existing normative media typology frameworks have been disrupted and as a result would invite media scholars to revise their typology/ macro approach in understanding changes in journalism practices across different media environments. The book identifies three emerging patterns: a counter-elite sourcing practice, human rights-centered reporting and a disruption in existing normative media typology frameworks. If these patterns continue to develop and consolidate, they might be seen as early features of a new ear in journalism practices. The book takes the task of analyzing the news coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events by the Arabic and the English news sites of five international news organizations: Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, RT and XINHUA and looks at possible lexical consonance between activists’ entries on social media and the non-attributed lexical choices identified in news stories. The book also offers insights given by more than 200 Egyptian activists and journalists who covered the Egyptian Revolution and its aftermath.

“News, activism and social media: Reporting the Egyptian Revolution and its aftermath by Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, RT and XINHUA”

 

ABSTRACT - PhD thesis

The early days of the January 25th Revolution received unprecedented international media coverage that kept the world’s viewers on the edge of their seats watching the plunge of another corrupt Arab regime, shortly after Bin Ali’s collapse in Tunisia. Toppling Mubarak’s regime was the most significant achievement of the January 25th Revolution, yet events that occurred under the interim military regime that followed Mubarak’s rule also received extensive media coverage. Media focus on the Egyptian Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) was not only because such events, collectively, represented a crucial transitional stage to a new democratic Egypt, but also because of their dramatic nature of re-occurring bloody clashes between the January 25th Revolutionaries and SCAF. As the new military regime, like Mubarak’s, continued to clash with revolutionaries and protesters, social media-equipped activists continued to feed the cyberspace with anti-SCAF content, which was then pitched up and broadcasted by news media to millions of viewers inside and outside Egypt. This thesis focuses on examining the impact of an evolving relationship between news organizations and social media-equipped activists on the coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events. By examining disparities in news coverage, it explores possible changes in journalism practices, and detects emerging patterns, particularly pertinent to journalist-source relationship and human rights reporting. While exploring possible changes in journalism practices, it also questions whether the existing normative media typology frameworks have been disrupted and as a result would invite media scholars to revise their typology/ macro approach in understanding changes in journalism practices across different media environments. The thesis’ findings have led to identifying three emerging patterns in the coverage: a counter-elite sourcing practice, human rights-centered reporting and a disruption in existing normative media typology frameworks. If these patterns continue to develop and consolidate, they might be seen as early features of a new ear in journalism practices. Using an integrated content-textual analysis, as a primary research method, the thesis analyzes the news coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events by the Arabic and the English news sites of five international news organizations: Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, RT and XINHUA. Textual analysis is used to look at possible lexical consonance between activists’ entries on social media and the non-attributed lexical choices identified in news stories. The textual analysis is supported by two sets of surveys that target Egyptian activists and journalists to explore their insights about their relationship during the Egyptian Revolution and its aftermath.

                                                  Yomna Kamel

 

“News, activism and social media: Reporting the Egyptian Revolution and its aftermath by Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, RT and XINHUA”

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ABSTRACT - PhD thesis

The early days of the January 25th Revolution received unprecedented international media coverage that kept the world’s viewers on the edge of their seats watching the plunge of another corrupt Arab regime, shortly after Bin Ali’s collapse in Tunisia. Toppling Mubarak’s regime was the most significant achievement of the January 25th Revolution, yet events that occurred under the interim military regime that followed Mubarak’s rule also received extensive media coverage. Media focus on the Egyptian Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) was not only because such events, collectively, represented a crucial transitional stage to a new democratic Egypt, but also because of their dramatic nature of re-occurring bloody clashes between the January 25th Revolutionaries and SCAF. As the new military regime, like Mubarak’s, continued to clash with revolutionaries and protesters, social media-equipped activists continued to feed the cyberspace with anti-SCAF content, which was then pitched up and broadcasted by news media to millions of viewers inside and outside Egypt. This thesis focuses on examining the impact of an evolving relationship between news organizations and social media-equipped activists on the coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events. By examining disparities in news coverage, it explores possible changes in journalism practices, and detects emerging patterns, particularly pertinent to journalist-source relationship and human rights reporting. While exploring possible changes in journalism practices, it also questions whether the existing normative media typology frameworks have been disrupted and as a result would invite media scholars to revise their typology/ macro approach in understanding changes in journalism practices across different media environments. The thesis’ findings have led to identifying three emerging patterns in the coverage: a counter-elite sourcing practice, human rights-centered reporting and a disruption in existing normative media typology frameworks. If these patterns continue to develop and consolidate, they might be seen as early features of a new ear in journalism practices. Using an integrated content-textual analysis, as a primary research method, the thesis analyzes the news coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events by the Arabic and the English news sites of five international news organizations: Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, RT and XINHUA. Textual analysis is used to look at possible lexical consonance between activists’ entries on social media and the non-attributed lexical choices identified in news stories. The textual analysis is supported by two sets of surveys that target Egyptian activists and journalists to explore their insights about their relationship during the Egyptian Revolution and its aftermath.

"Citizen Journalism, Global Perspectives"

I contributed a chapter to volume two of an excellent book on journalism, titled "Citizen Journalism, Global Perspectives", edited by Einar Thorsen and Stuart Allan. The book offers "an overview of key developments in citizen journalism since 2008, including the use of social media in crisis reporting and provides a new set of case studies highlighting important instances of citizen reporting of crisis events in a complementary range of national contexts." 

My chapter, titled "Reporting a revolution and its aftermath: when activists drive the news coverage", offers an attempt to understand the role of social media-equipped activists in driving the news coverage of the Egyptian Revolution and its associated events through a case study that looks at the reporting of five selected news organizations, Al-Jazeera, BBC, CNN, Russia Today and XINHUA. At least four of the five news organizations included in the study were found to be practicing ‘counter-elite sourcing’, which is commonly associated with alternative media outlets when “they oppose the conventions and representations of the mainstream media” by privileging activists and other marginalized voices over elite and official sources. My study suggests that social media-equipped activists have played a significant role in pushing news media to change its practices; departing from their conventional elite- sourcing routine towards more source diversity and non-elite sourcing practices.

For more about the book:  http://citizenjournalism.me/

دبلوماسية الحكومة الإسرائيلية المستفزة على تويتر

يشهد موقع التواصل المجتمعي ‘ تويتر‘ هذه الأيام نوعاً جديداً من السجال الذي يصل أحياناً إلى درجة المعارك اللفظية بين عشرات من المستخدمين (المغردين) العرب من جانب وعدد من المتحدثين الرسميين عن الحكومة الإسرائيلية الناشطين على الموقع التواصلي من جانب آخر.

من أشهر الشخصيات الممثلة للحكومة الإسرائيلية على توتير الضابط أفيخاي أدرعي ، المتحدث بلسان جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي للإعلام العربي،والذي يتجاوز عدد المتابعين له 19 ألف، وتصل نسبة متابعيه من العالم العربي 57% (32% من القاهرة، 10% من الرياض، 9% من بغداد، 4% من الكويت، و2% من أبوظبي)، تعود شعبية حساب أدرعي على تويتر بين الشباب العربي إلى كونه يغرد باللغة العربية، ولا يفوت أي من الأعياد أو المناسبات الدينية إلا ويقدم أدرعي تهانيه للمحتفلين مسلمين كانوا أم يهوداً، كما يحاول من خلال تغريداته تقديم صورة إيجابية مسالمة لإسرائيل محاولاً التقرب من الشباب العربي الناشط على تويتر. في المقابل تتباين تعليقات الشباب العربي على تغريدات أدرعي بين السخرية من تغريداته، والرفض للأفكار التي يطرحها حول سلمية الدولة الإسرائيلية، بينما يكتفي عدد لا بأس به من المغردين العرب بإعادة نشر تغريداته لمتابعيهم.

من تغرديات أدرعي التي استوقفت مؤخراً الكثيرين من الناشطين العرب على موقع التواصل المجتمعي تلك التي انتقدت مسلسلات رمضان التي ارتبطت محاورها الدرامية بالمجتمع الإسرائيلي، كمسلسل ‘فرقة ناجي عطا الله‘ أو تلك التي درات حول قصص الاستخبارات المصرية مثل مسلسل ‘الصفعة‘.

علق أدرعي في إحدى تغريداته حول مسلسلات رمضان قائلاً: "هذه المسلسلات أساءت إلى معاني الشهر الفضيل جاعلة منه وسيلة لبث سموم التحريض ضد أبناء الشعب اليهودي ومواطني إسرائيل." وقد قوبل تعليقه بالسخرية والهجوم الحاد من قبل بعض الناشطين العرب، في حين أُعيد نشره 49 مرة من قبل مغردين غالبيتهم من العالم العربي خاصة مصر. 

كما حملت إحدى تغريداته تهنئة بمناسبة عيد الفطر، قوبلت بتعليقات وصلت إلى 19 تغريدة كانت أيضاً في مجملها (17 تغريدة) ساخرة ولاذعة، وأعاد نشرها دون تعليق 39 مغرد أغلبهم أيضاً من العالم العربي.

الشخصية الإسرائيلية الأخرى الناشطة على تويتر هو أوفير جندلمان، المتحدث باسم رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي للاعلام العربي،  ويقارب عدد متابعيه على الموقع التواصلي العشرة آلاف، أغلبهم من المغردين العرب، وإن جاءت تغريداته بعضها باللغة العربية وبعضها الآخر باللغة الإنجليزية.

تحمل تغريدات جندلمان – بجانب تصريحات رئيس وزراء إسرائيل المترجمة إلى العربية والإنجليزية - رسائل سياسية (ودينية) مستفزة للعرب مثل :"الى المتطرفين الذين يشتركون في فعاليات يوم القدس: سنبقى على أرضنا التأريخية وفي عاصمتنا الأبدية أورشليم القدس. اسرائيل قوية وقادرة على سحق أعدائها." والتي أثارت غضب عدد من المتابعين العرب وتحولت التعليقات إلى نقد لاذع تجاهله جندلمان.

لا شك أن تواجد شخصيات ممثلة للحكومة الإسرائيلية على موقع التواصل المجتمعي ‘تويتر‘ وحرصهم على التغريد باللغة العربية يعكس رغبة إسرائيل في التواصل مع جيل جديد من الشباب العربي الناشط على شبكة الانترنت والذي لعب دوراً أساسياً في اسقاط الأنظمة العربية فيما يُعرف بالربيع العربي، كما يعكس محاولة الكيان الإسرائيلي - والتي تبدو في الغالب غير ناجحة - الظهور بشكل سلمي متسامح مع الثقافات والديانات الأخرى.

ورغم لغة الرفض والاستهجان الواضحة في تعليقات المغردين العرب على تغريديات الشخصيات الحكومية الإسرائيلية إلا أن التواصل المباشر بين الطرفين يعد السابقة الأولى من نوعها بين ممثلي حكومة إسرائيل ومواطنين عرب يرون في ذلك فرصة لإظهار مواقف الشعوب العربية بعيداً عن المواقف الرسمية للحكومات العربية، كما يحمل تواصل الشباب العربي الناشط على تويتر مع ممثلي الحكومة الإسرائيلية ما يراه البعض جراءة التواصل العلني مع العدو دون خشية التعرض للمسائلة الأمنية أو الاتهام بالتخابر مع جهات أجنبية.

 

 التوزيع الجغرافي لمتابعي حساب أفيخاي أدرعي على موقع تويتر (باستخدام برنامج  simply measured)

يمنى كامل/Yomna Kamel