Granting Saudi Women the Right to Drive in the Eyes of Qatari Media

Authors: Rasha A. Salameh

Abstract:

This research attempts to evaluate the treatment provided by the Qatari media to the decision to allow Saudi women to drive, and then activate this decision after a few months, that is, within the time frame between September 26, 2017 until June 30, 2018. This is through asking several questions, including whether the political dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia has cast a shadow over this handling, and if these Qatari media handlings are used to criticize the Saudi regime for delaying this step. Here emerges one of the research hypotheses that says that the coverage did not have the required professionalism, due to the fact that the decision and its activation took place in light of the political stalemate between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which requires testing the media framing and agenda theories to know to what extent they apply to this case. The research dealt with a sample of five Qatari media read in this sample: Al-Jazeera Net, The New Arab Newspaper, Al-Sharq Newspaper, The Arab Newspaper, and Al-Watan Newspaper. The results showed that most of the authors who covered the decision to allow Saudi women to drive a car did not achieve a balance in their writing, and that almost half of them did not have objectivity, and this indicates the proof of the hypothesis that there is a defect in the professional competence in covering the decision to allow Saudi women to drive cars by means of Qatari media, and the researcher attributes this result to the political position between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the fact that the Arab media in most of them are characterized by a low ceiling of freedom, and most of them are identical in their position with the position of the regime’s official view.

Keywords: Saudi women, stereotypes, hate speech, framing.

References:

[1] Al- Mizar, Hind (2018). Saudi women driving the car to achieve equality in the light of the Kingdom's 2030 vision and its implications from its point of view and its relationship to some demographic variables, Social Work Journal, 59 (8), 188-222, Cairo, Egypt.
[2] Makkawy, Hassan and Sayyed, Leila (1998). Communication and its contemporary theories, first edition, Cairo: The Egyptian Lebanese House.
[3] Suleiman, Raja (2013). Palestinian press speech on the issue of Palestinian reconciliation, unpublished Master Thesis, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
[4] Entman, R., Matthes, J., & Pellicano, L. (2009). Nature, sources, and effects of news framing. Nimmo & K. Sanders Handbook of Political Communication, London: Sage Publication. California: Sage Publication.
[5] Brewer, P,. Joseph, G,. and Willnat, L. (2003). Priming or Framing. The International Journal for Communication Studies, 65 (6), 111-120.
[6] Ahmed, Zakaria Ahmed. (2009). Media Theories: An Introduction to Interests, Means, and Audiences. The Egyptian Library for Publishing and Distribution. Mansoura.
[7] Vreese, Claes. (2005). News Framing: Theory and Typology, Information Design Journal, (7), 53- 54.
[8] Hassouna, Nisreen. (2015). "Theories of Media and Communication", Alukah Network (www.alukah.net).
[9] Michael J. (2011). Agenda-Setting Theory and the Role of the Media in Shaping Public Opinion for the Iraq War, a research paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts,(University of Central Missouri: Department of Communication, April, 2011).
[10] Al-Mazahra, Manal (2012). Communication Theories, 1st edition, Amman: Dar Al Masirah for Publishing, Distribution and Printing.
[11] Nasr, Wissam (2003). Agenda of the interests of the websites of the authorities concerned with Egyptian women affairs - a comparative study, Egyptian Journal of Public Opinion Research, 9 (2), Cairo University, Egypt.
[12] Ahmed, A. and Al-Shayazami, M.. (2018). Media of the Gulf Crisis: Hate Speech, Doha Center for Media Freedom, Doha, Qatar.
[13] Bielsko, H. & Biata, A. (2015), Model of effective fight against hate speech Report on combating hate speech on the internet, The Bielsko Artistic Association “Grodzki Theatre”.
[14] Al-Rubaie, Bairaq Hussain. (2019). The role of social media in building hate speech, the international conference on hate speech and its impact on community coexistence and regional and international peace, Salahuddin University, Erbil, Iraq.
[15] Maabara, Tamara. (2019). Five ethical standards in the face of hate speech, Akeed website (https://akeed.jo/ar/post/2056/_5_) entry date (12/12/2019).
[16] Abu Asba, Saleh (2016). Stereotypes in the media, article published in Al Bayan newspaper, on the website (https://www.albayan.ae/opinions/articles/2016-03-27-1.2604183).
[17] Dente Ross, Susan (2006): Frame Shifts and Catastrophic Events: The Attacks of September 11, 2001, and New York 22 Times’s Portrayals of Arafat and Sharon. Mass Communication & Society, 9(1), 85–101.
[18] Debra .Merskin (2004): The Construction of Arabs as Enemies: Post September 11 Discourse of George W. Bush. Mass Communication & Society, 7(2), 157- 169.
[19] Bouchaala, Samira. (2016). Stereotype: Building to the Job, University of Thalegi Journal, 46, 127-147.
[20] Arts, Nonman, Paul, Gerd (2013). Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Al-Mizan, Center for Arab Unity Studies, Beirut, Lebanon.
[21] Al-Rasheed, Madawi, Mute Modernists - Conflict over Sharia Policies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Beirut, Lebanon.
[22] Rajkhan, Safaa (2014), Women In Saudi Arabia Status, Rights, and Limitations, University of Washington Bothell, Washington.
[23] Suleiman, Sana Muhammad. (2015) Research Methods in Education and Psychology and his basic skills, 4th edition, World of Books, Cairo, Egypt.
[24] Neuendorf, Kimberly A. (2002). The Content Analysis Guidebook, London, Sage Publications.
[25] Al-Mansour, Ahmed Issa. (2015). Arab newspapers cover Trump's decision, "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," Journal of Gaza University, (12) 22-68.