The Impact of Threatening News Coverage of the Ethiopian “Al-Nahda Dam” on Egyptian Collective Insecurity (Arabic)

Abstract

This study seeks to contribute to mediated out-group threat research by examining the consequences of exposure to news coverage depicting the Al-Nahda Dam crisis between Egypt and Ethiopia. It examines Egyptian feelings of collective insecurity and the role of group-based affect and group identity when exposed to a mediated out-group threat. Specifically, the study utilized the Ethiopians’ Al-Nahda Dam as an economic, safety, and cultural example of out-group threat to disentangle the effects of distinct types of threats and media outlets on the cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses of Egyptian audiences. Using a sample of 613 Egyptian respondents, recruited through an online survey service, this study explored the circumstances under which Egyptians might experience direct fear and anxiety when exposed to threatening news coverage of Al-Nahda Dam. Results from this study provide support for the proposed hypotheses related to the mediated role of distinct affective reactions to threat, exposure to different issues communicated by the media about the Ethiopian dam. Given these results, recommendations for future research are discussed, with particular emphasis on the role of political ideology and media content. It also expands the research on the potential for media to evoke this out-group directed affective response. Future scholarship could also examine the role of group identities and salient group membership in creating feelings of collective insecurity.