Since television news channels in Lebanon are either directly or indirectly politically affiliated, the news coverage in these television channels often serve the agenda of the ruling class. In October 2019, uprisings erupted in the streets of Lebanon. This is when independent media outlets, that provided alternative coverage to the traditional media, gained popularity in the country. As for marginalized communities in Lebanon, there are increasingly getting sidelined and discriminated against in the country. With the emergence of independent media, it has become important to analyze the representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon, and how it differs between traditional and independent news outlets. Previous studies have found that media representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon is usually negative, and that this representation can differ between news outlets, depending on who owns them. Other studies have also found that this representation does not only apply to text, but also to visual and other multimedia components. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap in the research and analyze the media representation of marginalized communities, specifically women and girls, Syrian refugees, and LGBT people, in Lebanon and whether there is a difference between traditional and independent media. This study asks the following three research questions: Are marginalized communities more positively represented in independent news outlets than traditional ones in Lebanon? Is there a difference in the overall representation of marginalized communities among each other? What are the themes that emerged in the representation of marginalized communities in traditional vs independent outlets? The study conducted a quantitative content analysis of 90 headlines and a qualitative multimodal critical discourse analysis of 18 news articles. The time frame for the articles chosen was 2019 and onwards. The study found these marginalized communities are more negatively represented in traditional media than independent ones, which aligns with previous findings. It also found that Syrian refugees have the most negative representation among the three groups. The way in which traditional media represented marginalized communities was mainly through perpetuation of the same bias and stereotypes as the government, while independent media challenged these discourses and stereotypes in their coverage. This also aligned with previous findings. Future research should look into the reasons behind Syrian refugees having the most negative representation in Lebanon. In addition, media monitoring and humanitarian organizations should keep track of the news articles that are produced about marginalized communities, in order to make searching for them more efficient and accessible for future studies.
Since television news channels in Lebanon are either directly or indirectly politically affiliated, the news coverage in these television channels often serve the agenda of the ruling class. In October 2019, uprisings erupted in the streets of Lebanon. This is when independent media outlets, that provided alternative coverage to the traditional media, gained popularity in the country. As for marginalized communities in Lebanon, there are increasingly getting sidelined and discriminated against in the country. With the emergence of independent media, it has become important to analyze the representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon, and how it differs between traditional and independent news outlets. Previous studies have found that media representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon is usually negative, and that this representation can differ between news outlets, depending on who owns them. Other studies have also found that this representation does not only apply to text, but also to visual and other multimedia components. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap in the research and analyze the media representation of marginalized communities, specifically women and girls, Syrian refugees, and LGBT people, in Lebanon and whether there is a difference between traditional and independent media. This study asks the following three research questions: Are marginalized communities more positively represented in independent news outlets than traditional ones in Lebanon? Is there a difference in the overall representation of marginalized communities among each other? What are the themes that emerged in the representation of marginalized communities in traditional vs independent outlets? The study conducted a quantitative content analysis of 90 headlines and a qualitative multimodal critical discourse analysis of 18 news articles. The time frame for the articles chosen was 2019 and onwards. The study found these marginalized communities are more negatively represented in traditional media than independent ones, which aligns with previous findings. It also found that Syrian refugees have the most negative representation among the three groups. The way in which traditional media represented marginalized communities was mainly through perpetuation of the same bias and stereotypes as the government, while independent media challenged these discourses and stereotypes in their coverage. This also aligned with previous findings. Future research should look into the reasons behind Syrian refugees having the most negative representation in Lebanon. In addition, media monitoring and humanitarian organizations should keep track of the news articles that are produced about marginalized communities, in order to make searching for them more efficient and accessible for future studies.
Representing Marginalized Communities in Traditional and Independent Media Outlets in Lebanon: a Comparative Analysis
KHARPOUTLI, MARIAM
2023/2024
Abstract
Since television news channels in Lebanon are either directly or indirectly politically affiliated, the news coverage in these television channels often serve the agenda of the ruling class. In October 2019, uprisings erupted in the streets of Lebanon. This is when independent media outlets, that provided alternative coverage to the traditional media, gained popularity in the country. As for marginalized communities in Lebanon, there are increasingly getting sidelined and discriminated against in the country. With the emergence of independent media, it has become important to analyze the representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon, and how it differs between traditional and independent news outlets. Previous studies have found that media representation of marginalized communities in Lebanon is usually negative, and that this representation can differ between news outlets, depending on who owns them. Other studies have also found that this representation does not only apply to text, but also to visual and other multimedia components. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap in the research and analyze the media representation of marginalized communities, specifically women and girls, Syrian refugees, and LGBT people, in Lebanon and whether there is a difference between traditional and independent media. This study asks the following three research questions: Are marginalized communities more positively represented in independent news outlets than traditional ones in Lebanon? Is there a difference in the overall representation of marginalized communities among each other? What are the themes that emerged in the representation of marginalized communities in traditional vs independent outlets? The study conducted a quantitative content analysis of 90 headlines and a qualitative multimodal critical discourse analysis of 18 news articles. The time frame for the articles chosen was 2019 and onwards. The study found these marginalized communities are more negatively represented in traditional media than independent ones, which aligns with previous findings. It also found that Syrian refugees have the most negative representation among the three groups. The way in which traditional media represented marginalized communities was mainly through perpetuation of the same bias and stereotypes as the government, while independent media challenged these discourses and stereotypes in their coverage. This also aligned with previous findings. Future research should look into the reasons behind Syrian refugees having the most negative representation in Lebanon. In addition, media monitoring and humanitarian organizations should keep track of the news articles that are produced about marginalized communities, in order to make searching for them more efficient and accessible for future studies.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/74228