Saudi Arabian Press Coverage of the Events in Bahrain Essay

Saudi Arabian Press Coverage of the Events in Bahrain - Essay Example I also wish to pay my sincere regards to Dr. Chris Paterson, who opened his door and mind for me. Moreover, I gratefully acknowledge the support of Mr. Turki Abdullah Al Sideri, as he stood with me throughout the MA degree program, and very special thanks go to Al Saud University for providing me with this wonderful opportunity. I am also extremely grateful to the staff members, friends, colleagues and all others who supported, taught and helped me in the research and in learning the language, both at Sheffield University and Leeds University. A great deal of love, loyalty, and thanks go to the government of my country for providing me with this amazing opportunity to complete the MA program. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my father, mother, brothers, and sisters for their overwhelming support. This research paper investigates the performance of the Saudi Arabian press during the events in Bahrain between 14 February and 16 March 2011. It analyses the content of the press in Saudi Arabia with respect to the number of stories related to the Bahrain conflict and the theme and tone of these stories. Content analysis of the two leading Saudi Arabian newspapers, Alriyadh and Alyaum, was carried out by employing a constructed week approach for the entire period of the conflict. The results of this content analysis revealed that the coverage of the events in Bahrain by the Saudi Press was, to a great extent, dependent on the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), because of the constraints imposed on the press in the Kingdom by the Saudi Arabian information policy. The news related to Bahrain mostly appeared to be positive in tone and tended to support the agenda and interests of the government of Saudi Arabia with regards the political and democratic position of Bahrain, particularly when it involved the status of the Shiahs in the country.