AL-JAZEERA’S AJ+, AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE

Abstract

Al-Jazeera, since its launch, gained the attention of scholars, other media outlets, governments, and, most importantly, the people. Al-Jazeera was associated with the newly emerging Arab public sphere by many scholars, such as Lucy Abbott, Nancy Frazer and Marc Lynch. Some criticize its influence on the Arab public sphere, some say it is a reflection of the Arab public sphere, and some say it is an essential element along with other media outlets to the Arab public sphere. After the Arab Spring, the Arab public sphere changed and evolved, and Aljazeera did the same too. The Arab public sphere is facing new challenges related to the digital realm, and Aljazeera established its digital arm; AJ+. The study explores the content of a sample of videos from AJ+ (English), AJ+ Arabic, and AJ+ Kabreet to see if AJ+ remains true to its Al-Jazeera roots. The study will have Marc Lynch's book Voices of the New Arab Public as a foundation as it would go through his analysis and criticism Habermas's definition of the public sphere and connecting it with the new Arab public sphere. The study would focus on three main elements, the subject of the videos, their inclusion, and the engagement levels.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science