The Arab news channels' coverage of the Palestinian prisoners and detainees issue in the Israeli prisons:

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Institute of Modern Media, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Jerusalem - Palestine

2 PhD researcher, Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Cairo University

3 Independent researcher

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the extent of the interest of prominent Arab news channels (Al-Arabiya, Al-Jazeera, and Al-Mayadeen) in the issue of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails and prisons by analyzing the content of their pages on the Facebook platform. It also aimed to reveal the most important topics they dealt with regarding the Palestinians in Israeli prisons, identify their positions on the issue, explain the most critical elements they used to highlight the case, and analyze the editorial policy they adopted. The study was based on the framing and gatekeeping theories. Three hundred fifteen posts related to the issue of Palestinian prisoners were analyzed from September 6, 2021, until January 6, 2022; (143) posts from Al-Mayadeen TV, (140) posts from Al-Jazeera, and (32) posts from Al-Arabiya. The study reached a set of results, the most important of which are: Al-Mayadeen and Al-Jazeera focused on addressing the issue of the prisoners during its various events during the study period, where Al-Mayadeen TV ranked first in covering the topic, followed by Al-Jazeera, then Al-Arabiya. Al-Mayadeen channel topped the list in its supportive stance for the cause, followed by Al-Jazeera, while Al-Arabiya adhered to neutrality in its coverage. Clearly, the three media focused on security issues rather than showing the human face of the cause. The results also showed that the three channels mostly used the political frame in the Palestinian detainees' case coverage. According to the gatekeeping theory, these results could be related to the difference in the ideology of each channel and the editorial policy in line with the foreign policy of the country to which the channel belongs. Accordingly, the researchers recommended increasing interest in covering Palestinian detainees' various topics in Israeli prisons, not limiting coverage to prominent events. There is a necessity for allocating a constant space to cover the cause.

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