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Maha Abdul Majeed is specialized in online media. She has over 20 years of experience in media research, academic teaching, training and consultancy in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE. She is a professor in AU and the chairperson of the Research Committee in Mass Communication College. Maha is a principal investigator in the international research project "Global Risk Journalism Hub" (GRJH). She is also a co-investigator and active member in the international research project "Journalistic Role Performance Project" (JRP). Maha has practical experience in online learning, provided an online course in Interactive Media Research in co-operation with Edraak Organization. Besides, she also achieved the Digital Media Professional Diploma from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Maha participated in the 2nd round of the National Media Training program offered by Dubai Press to media practitioners and students in UAE. Maha had been rewarded twice for the “Excellence in Research Award", her research interests and contributions include New media, Online Journalism, Security Media, Communication Research Methods, Crisis Management and Journalism Education. She worked as a senior media expert in the National Center for Social and Criminal Research, Egypt.
This study examines the factors affecting media researchers’ selection of media research problems. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of Arab media researchers were conducted, followed by applying a 22-item questionnaire on a sample of 247 from Arab media researchers. The impact of internal/subjective factors and external/objective factors, on the selection of research problems by Arab media researchers, and their perceptions were investigated. Findings revealed that internal factors are perceived to have a higher impact than external factors. However, external factors are perceived to have a stronger negative impact than positive ones. Findings also raise several issues regarding scientific considerations, institutional requirements, and socio-political conditions that lead researchers to either avoid certain topics or change the angle of their view for their research. The study proposed a theoretical framework regarding the process of selecting research problems in the media field of Arab countries.
Journalists in Egypt and the UAE have been differently challenged by the COVID-19 situation at multiple levels, (1) individual (2) work/routines and (3) media/organizational while covering COVID-19. Using the hierarchy of influences model, we analyze the differentiated journalists’ role conceptions, perceived performance, and challenges they faced in covering COVID-19, and how that affect their performance, as Global South-based journalists. Applying a mixed method approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 journalists who reported COVID-19, representing different media platforms, as a part of the Global Risk Journalism Hub project. We also surveyed journalists (n 102) from both countries, as a part of the Journalistic Role Performance project. Findings revealed that media-organizational level challenges influenced journalists more than other levels. Journalists also shifted from the Civic Role Conception to performing the Loyal-Facilitator Role followed by the Interventionist Role during the pandemic.
This paper examines how social media shape Egyptians' perceptions of reality in their home country during Covid-19. The study of expatriates' perceptions, especially during the pandemic, is of increasing importance due to the spread of the tension and ambiguous overall situation. The study applied the descriptive quantitative analysis method. Following the International Migration Household-Egypt survey indicators, the study conducted an online questionnaire on a non-probability snowball sample of 198 respondents from Egyptian expatriates who are currently living in different Arab and foreign countries. The study applied quantitative measurements and adequate statistical analysis (Regression, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman's correlation) to examine how much clear or ambiguous crystal do Egyptian expatriates perceive the reality of their home country in the context of several dimensions; cognitive, emotional and behavioral. Based on reviewing literature about Media and Reality Perception theories, in addition to this study results, this paper ends with proposing a theoretical framework to interpret how expatriates perceive reality in their home countries through interactive media. Findings highlighted the cognitive and behavioral impacts of social media on Egyptian expatriates' perceptions and raised serious questions regarding their trust in Egyptian media.
This study explores the obstacles and challenges facing Arab media researchers when participating in international research projects, providing an analysis of the professional and academic context in which they work and its impact on their scholarly production. Analyzing how cross-cultural communication theory is practically applied through international media research projects, it applies a mixed methods research approach, using a survey of 248 media researchers, followed by in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 10 researchers currently participating in international media research projects. Results showed that while self-motivation is the most powerful driver for Arab media researchers to participate in international research projects, they face challenges related to their academic institutions. Arab researchers are also culturally challenged by the dominance of certain research perspectives and practices not suitable neither to their communities’ contexts nor their research needs and priorities. Those findings propose a theoretical model that explain the stages and paths of openness in cultural communication in the research field. They may also help top managers of academic institutions better understand how to develop a healthy, positive and more productive academic working environment.
The advantages of social media platforms as interactive information sources raise the importance of examining how they are used by political digital opinion leaders to influence public perceptions. Twitter, especially, played a major role in Egypt’s January 25 revolution facilitating news dissemination, public discussions and debates. Analyzing the communicative strategies of two Egyptian political influencers –Ammar Ali Hassan and Ezzedine Fishere– ten years after Egypt’s political change, and the role they play in public discourse through their Twitter accounts, this research offers an overview of the current role played by Egyptian digital political influencers in influencing public opinion. Focusing on the content and discourse of their tweets for two months, October and November 2019, the digital political influencers were selected based on the number of followers divided by the amount of interactivity on their tweets, such as retweets and favorites. The unit of analysis is the tweet that received the largest amount of interactivity. Results showed that both influencers had a unidirectional opinion strategy. While Hassan’s tweets, @ammaralihassan, seemed purposeless, not yielding any clear and valuable content to the reader, Fishere, @FishereEzzedine, was more outspoken and clearer in his communicative strategy, using evidence in defending human rights in Egypt and the Arab World. The analysis indicated more fact-based tweets by Fishere, who seems to play a more significant role in his communication network, despite minimal interaction.
This study examines the factors affecting media researchers’ selection of media research problems. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of Arab media researchers were conducted, followed by applying a 22-item questionnaire on a sample of 247 from Arab media researchers. The impact of internal/subjective factors and external/objective factors, on the selection of research problems by Arab media researchers, and their perceptions were investigated. Findings revealed that internal factors are perceived to have a higher impact than external factors. However, external factors are perceived to have a stronger negative impact than positive ones. Findings also raise several issues regarding scientific considerations, institutional requirements, and socio-political conditions that lead researchers to either avoid certain topics or change the angle of their view for their research. The study proposed a theoretical framework regarding the process of selecting research problems in the media field of Arab countries.
This study examines the perceptions of Egyptian journalists of the effectiveness of professional training in digital journalism and determines the training-needs of journalists to adapt to innovative journalism practices. The study applies mixed descriptive methods based on The Motivation–Hygiene theory of what motivates employees. Data analysis is based on an online questionnaire with a snowball sample of 134 Egyptian journalists from different media outlets and in-depth interviews with 10 journalists and professional trainers, between June 2019 and August 2020. Findings reveal that the impact of hygiene factors is stronger than that of motivation factors. This study shows that hygiene factors negatively influence professional training and inhibit any positive impacts of motivation factors. The findings of this study are significant to media organizations and professional training providers.
Journalists in Egypt and the UAE have been differently challenged by the COVID-19 situation at multiple levels, (1) individual (2) work/routines and (3) media/organizational while covering COVID-19. Using the hierarchy of influences model, we analyze the differentiated journalists’ role conceptions, perceived performance, and challenges they faced in covering COVID-19, and how that affect their performance, as Global South-based journalists. Applying a mixed method approach, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 journalists who reported COVID-19, representing different media platforms, as a part of the Global Risk Journalism Hub project. We also surveyed journalists (n 102) from both countries, as a part of the Journalistic Role Performance project. Findings revealed that media-organizational level challenges influenced journalists more than other levels. Journalists also shifted from the Civic Role Conception to performing the Loyal-Facilitator Role followed by the Interventionist Role during the pandemic.
This chapter explores the evolution of digital journalism in Egypt, focusing on the emergence and development of online news platforms. The mid-1990s saw Egyptian newspapers transitioning to online formats, with Arab publishers increasingly establishing digital editions. State-owned media, recognizing the potential of ICT, initiated online presence by launching digital versions of their newspapers. Initially, Egyptian digital newspapers merely replicated print content online, struggling with Arabic text display and interactive features. The first phase of digital journalism was characterized by “shovelware,” where print editions were converted into PDFs without exploiting the Internet’s interactive capabilities. The second phase saw minor enhancements, such as adding photo galleries and links, but digital content remained largely an extension of print versions. By the early 2000s, Egyptian news websites began to evolve, creating online-only content and adopting new journalistic forms. Notable developments included the rise of digital-only platforms like Masrawy and the increased use of social media for engagement. The transition to Web 2.0 further transformed media landscapes, emphasizing interactivity and user-generated content. Today, digital journalism encompasses diverse types, from traditional media portals to native online sites and citizen journalism platforms, highlighting a dynamic shift in how news is produced and consumed in Egypt.
This chapter reviews recent literature to provide an overview of the current state of the field in technological innovation in journalism generally and science and health journalism specifically. This chapter begins by asking, “How can technology improve science and health journalism?” To answer this question, we will first discuss the challenges that science and health journalism face, as well as how technology can help overcome those challenges. The chapter’s second question is, “How can we use technology to connect the public with science and health?” We investigate how technology can improve science journalism in terms of simplicity, context, and interactive storytelling, thereby increasing community engagement with science and health. Finally this chapter identifies gaps in the existing research, and provides directions and questions for future research.
This paper examines journalistic role performance in coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a content analysis of newspaper, television, radio and online news in 37 countries. We test a set of hypotheses derived from two perspectives on the role of journalism in health crises. Mediatization theories assume that news media tend to sensationalize or to politicize health crises. A contrasting perspective holds that journalists shift toward more deferential and cooperative stances toward health and political authorities in a health crisis, attempting to mobilize the public to act according to the best science. Hypotheses derived from these perspectives are tested using the standard measures of journalistic roles developed by the Journalistic Role Performance Project. Results show that the deference/cooperation/consensus perspective is better supported, with media moving away from the Watchdog and Infotainment, and toward performance of the Service and Civic roles. We also explore differences in the pattern by country.
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