Overview of the development of the Arab media

Recent developments in the Arab media have taken the world by surprise. The monopoly of Al-Jazeera over the coverage of the war on Afghanistan is one of the main developments that Arab channels have witnessed most recently. The launch of Al-Jazeera English, Al-Hurra and Al-Arabiya is but one example of the rapid growth of Arab media. This growth came as a result of various political, social and economic changes that hit the Arab world. A brief historical review is useful to help understand and contextualise this development of the Arab media.

The media came into existence in Arab societies during the Western colonisation which goes back as far as 1797, when Napoleon invaded Egypt. The Turkish rule of Arab lands, and Christian missionaries have all contributed to the introduction of print media to Arab societies (Ayish 2001a). The chief objective of this media was both political and religious. Media outlets were employed to serve the colonisers' main agenda and propaganda. The prevailing oral culture in Arab societies made radio the most popular medium of communication. However, after the independence of most of these countries, both print media and radio adopted new local political and cultural strategies, which were geared towards encouraging development and nation-building. Print media and radio were under the control of Arab governments. Private media could not escape such control, which was justified by the desire of most Arab societies to break away from the message of colonisers, into a discourse of unity, social development and loyalty.