Abstract
Globalization scholars argue that the launch of Al-Jazeera has promoted a fairer horizontal news flow as a non-Western perspective entered the global public sphere leading to the Al-Jazeera Effect. In contrast, other scholars argue that Al-Jazeera outlets face biases and boycotts due to their Qatari origin, thus casting a shadow over the Al Jazeera Effect argument. This study employs an innovative approach to contribute to this debate by examining Al-Jazeera English (AJE) and AJ + 's Twitter following amongst four epistemic communities: ambassadors, foreign ministries, UN missions and journalists. The analysis found that AJE was consistently amongst the top five most followed new channels on Twitter, obtaining greater popularity than major Western news outlets such as Fox News and Sky News. This lends a unique empirical support for the Al-Jazeera Effect hypothesis. AJ + was found to be less popular, possibly due to its distinct nature as an online news platform.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
