development > tag this Survey says Of the
9I9 60%
When it comes to social media, a high proportion of participants use
94% 52%
respondents from Qatar,
agree with the statement 'It is okay for people to express their ideas on the Internet even if they are unpopular'. this is just
46% 14% of social media users report using Instagram, the majority of whom are in Bahrain.
I%
below the average of the total number of respondents from eight countries. Saudi Arabia is highest at
Television is considered to be the most reliable source of information for most of the countries surveyed, except Bahrain, where the internet is thought to be the most reliable source of information.
76%.
Voices from Qatar Qatar Today conducted a short survey of our own. Malaysian resident Prema Kumar has been living in Qatar for the past seven years. She says: "The media haven't evolved much since 2006, when we first moved. In fact the newspaper sometimes gives false news," she says. Sakshi Vashist has lived in Qatar since 2004 and has a different view. She says: "The media have evolved tremendously over the past decade. There was a time when the Internet was so expensive that the sole connection to the outside world and latest happenings was either through newspapers or word of mouth." "Today, there are more than three English daily newspapers, at least a dozen English magazines, and news channels, apart from Arabic and other languages. Due to availability of a plethora of electronic resources just a click away, more people have online subscriptions in Qatar. Fewer people read printed versions evidently, because getting news off the Internet and television is hassle-free," she says. Photographer Ren Wlasiuk relocated to Qatar seven years ago. She is sceptical of the media, saying: "It hasn’t really changed much. Except for Doha News, which is online, there hasn’t been any change. Papers just spout press releases and are filled with advertisements." Anu Vye made Doha her home eight years ago. She says: "The media have evolved considerably over the years but local news is still not reported accurately, if at all. Very limited coverage, although community events are now pre-advertised as opposed to finding out about an event after it has finished!" Speaking about media, she says: "It still has a long way to go in terms of total press freedom."
78 > qatar today > june 2013
54%
in Qatar feel the local media are credible, compared with
86%
in Saudi Arabia.
A majority in Qatar 57%, Saudi Arabia 62%, Lebanon 64 % Tunisia 52% want tighter regulation of the Internet in their countries, survey results show.
Note: Data from the media survey can be found at menamediasurvey.northwestern.edu.
joined the World Internet Project and combined studies with the questions they asked worldwide. We partnered with the Harris Poll, since we wanted the highest standards of research,” explains Dennis. Responding to sceptics and how they view media, Dennis says: “There are many who don't believe the media are credible. While the institution is susceptible to criticism, it is also more prone to open discussion, even to correction at times.” Dean Dennis speaks passionately about the need for such a survey. “We were very intrigued with the development of the media in the Middle East. In fact it is vital information to the students of our school. If you don't know the territory you are in, that can lead to a lot of misrepresentation. While there were a few studies on the media in this region, we found a lot of them were either outdated or not well conducted. We thought we needed to do our own research.” The road ahead “We will be collaborating with the Interna-
tional Communication Association in London this June besides the Association for Education for Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in Washington, DC in August where this data will be discussed. "We are also publishing a monograph in much more detail for all of the countries surveyed. We intend to get this information out and are sending it to different industries that we looked at, including radio and TV. Recently Bahrain picked up the print media aspect, that book reading is higher there,” says Dennis. Looking forward, Dennis says, “We would like to learn more about people who work in the media; this includes motion pictures, TV, theatre, other kinds of entertainment. This is part of a continuing programme. We will try and understand the media of this region. For instance 'Ramadan media' is a genre of the Islamic media that can be explored. By analysing these aspects, our students can understand the job market better and contribute to better communication in the region.”