Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Reporting in the Mena Region: Cyber Engagement and Pan-Arab Social Media

In this consideration of media practice in the Arab region, Mohammad Ayish and Noha Mellor explore the changing status and function of journalists and journalism given the new realities of reporting in the digital age. The authors draw on focus group discussions, interviews, and social media traffic surveys to examine how social and new media have been integrated into Arab and pan-Arab newsroom operations and harnessed to enhance engagement with an empowered audience. Efforts to engage with audiences in social space, Ayish and Mellor argue, are part of a broad and long-waged information war aimed at winning hearts and minds in the MENA region. Social platforms present excellent opportunities to engage with audiences, but the extent to which such opportunities can be realized are hamstrung by limits on free expression and online access―and vary significantly from country to country and from media channel to media channel. Overall, Reporting in the MENA Region paints a comprehensive and contemporary picture of how today’s Arab journalists perceive and use digital media. Review A fascinating inquiry into how pan-Arab journalists employ social media tools in order to enrich their engagement with distant audiences. Bringing to bear multiple strands of analysis, it casts into sharp relief a crucial range of factors shaping the post-Arab Spring mediascape. Essential reading for students, researchers, and journalists alike.--Stuart Allan, professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Cardiff University A great strength of this book is its recency...Considering the long turn-around cycle for publishing a book, this recency is quite impressive. It is also noteworthy that the authors are clearly experts in the subject matter, as demonstrated in the very knowledgeable and authoritative observations, comments, and arguments.... While journalists elsewhere, particularly those struggling in severe state-controlled and ideologically censored communication environments, continue to manage to survive in this social media era, this research has great global relevance.--Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly In this exceptionally valuable book, Ayish and Mellor take readers into the pan-Arab news business as it is adjusting to social media's opportunities and demands. With an impressive trove of data, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in the continuing evolution of Arab journalism.--Philip Seib, University of Southern California An authoritative, lucid, and engaging account of how journalism and social media is evolving in the pan-Arab context. This timely book is crucial reading for anyone serious about understanding contemporary journalism practice, social media, and audience engagement--not just in the pan-Arab context, but globally.--Einar Thorsen, Bournemouth University This timely and well-researched book provides the definitive portrait of journalistic digital practices across North Africa and the Arab world. Ayish and Mellor bring to life journalists' ongoing struggles with--and accommodations to--the state, the market, civil society, and their own news organizations to define the future of social media. In so doing, the authors challenge over-optimistic claims about the Arab Spring's democratizing legacy and provide a benchmark for future comparative research.--Rodney Benson, New York University The authors have given us a comprehensive, thorough, and current roadmap of social media practices in the Middle East. It will be valuable for anyone studying social media in global and comparative contexts.--Andrea Hickerson, Rochester Institute of Technology About the Author Mohammad Ayish is professor of communication at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. He served as Dean of the College of Communication at the University of Sharjah from 2002-2008. He has over 60 published articles and book chapters on Arab satellite television, media and democratizati