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Abstract
This survey examines how viewers of Al-Jazeera perceive the network's presentation of graphic and war-related visuals and whether the viewers perceive that the TV channel provides visual information they cannot find in national Arab media, CNN, and other Western media. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents supported the use of graphic imagery saying watching those visuals was a good decision for them and that the network provides a unique source of visual information. Further, attitudes toward press freedom and media reliance correlated with support for graphic visuals after controlling for demographic variables.
Notes
1A recent poll by Zogby International of six Arab countries still ranked Al-Jazeera as more popular than Al-Arabiya. However, the survey came under attack from leading Arab newspapers and television networks because it only focused on satellite stations, ignoring terrestrial stations and because it measured audience preference, not actual viewership.
2There were Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip and raids by Israeli soldiers into the West Bank refugee camps. The violent events claimed the lives of more than 30 Palestinians and 3 Israelis. In Iraq, more than 60 Iraqi citizens were killed when car bombs exploded in coordinated attacks in Baghdad. U.S. offensives in Iraq killed almost 100 insurgents. Further, the Iraq Survey Group announced that 15 months of searching has uncovered no evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed significant weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq War.
3Because the sample was heavily skewed toward Arab respondents residing in Arab and Muslim countries, efforts failed to find if those in the United States or the West had different attitudes toward graphic media than Arab citizens. Therefore, this study did not explore geographic reasons for differences.
4Responses from participants below the age of 18 (a total of eight responses) were removed from the data set.