Zeitschrift für Massenkommunikation und Journalismus

US Image in the Gulf Press Analytical Study of Al-Khaleej Newspaper of UAE and Al-Sharq Al-Awsat of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aisha Abdullah Al-Nuaimi

The relationship between the Arab world and the US involves many variables and political, economic and cultural problems. This is because such relation is always based on an active and dominating actor namely the United States, and on a state of imbalance of power. Here, the positions of the second party (the Arab World) are linked to some sort of international variables in the American policy towards Arab states. The image of the United States in the Gulf media is governed by four main factors: First: The relation or link between Gulf political systems and the United States. Second: The nature of the relation between the media and the ruling political system. Third: The stakes lie in the ability of the independent newspapers to provide another (counter) reading to uncover the secrets of the relations between the Gulf media and the American policy. Fourth: To what extent there is a balance in the flow of information between those who have it
and those who do not have it; in the absence of the so called knowledge gap. The study aims at analyzing and interpreting the image of the United States in the print Gulf media. It focuses on Al-Khaleej newspaper of the United Arab Emirates and Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper of Saudi Arabia, published in London. Plus sub other objectives. The main question of this study is to analyze the image of U.S.A in the Gulf Press? Plus others questions. In its analysis of the published material, the study used the qualitative discourse analysis. The studies show that print media propagate the policy of the political regime or what it tries to convey to the public opinion. The image of the United States in the Gulf media is the same image the political regimes try to convey to the public opinion.