INSIDE THE ARAB NEWSROOM

Abstract

In the years since 9/11, much has been written about the alleged bias and lack of professionalism in the Arab media. The first cross-border survey of Arab journalists finds that they have a mixed view of their own industry. They are frank about the lack of independence, fairness and professionalism among Arab news organizations. They admire the professionalism of their US counterparts, but give them low marks for fairness and independence. Overall, they have the highest regard for European journalists. Arab journalists have a mixed view of some of the traditional norms of Western journalism; they believe reporting should be infused with respect and that journalists may also be political activists, but they ultimately aspire to objectivity. They do not think their own media has been particularly objective in coverage of US Middle East policy, but they do believe they've been marginally more objective than their US counterparts.