Attitudes of the Arab Audience towards the Effective Role of Citizen Journalism in Promoting the Values of Oversight in Society

 
The study primarily aimed to understand the attitudes of the Arab public toward the role of citizen journalism in promoting transparency and good governance in Arab societies. This study is classified as a descriptive study and relies on a field survey method. The sample consisted of media audiences from four Arab countries: Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, and Algeria, with 200 individuals from each country.
 The study reached several conclusions, the most notable being: The majority of respondents have a "moderate" level of trust in the information provided by citizen journalism regarding corruption issues. Most respondents believe that citizen journalism has been "highly successful" in facing corruption issues and achieving oversight in society. Additionally, political issues came at the forefront of the issues that the public is interested in following through citizen journalism, followed by social issues of all kinds. The Arab public thinks that ensuring freedom of opinion and expression, especially through mass media, followed by political freedoms, is at the forefront of the political issues addressed by citizen journalism. In addition, the issue of a citizen's low monthly income is at the forefront of the economic issues addressed by citizen journalism. Providing social care and offering financial support to the neediest groups and those with limited income came at the forefront of the social issues addressed by citizen journalism that succeeded in facing them. Also, caring about the public morals of society came at the forefront of the moral issues addressed by citizen journalism that succeeded in facing and achieving oversight in society. It was also proven that there is a correlation between the degree of the Arab public's trust in citizen journalism and its attitudes towards its effectiveness in achieving oversight in society.