Arab Journalists as Cultural Intermediaries

Abstract

This article argues that despite the recent increase in the number of publications about Arab news media, little has been revealed about Arab journalism as a professional and social field.This article suggests the incorporation of Bourdieu's notion of “cultural intermediaries” and Zelizer's view of journalists as an “interpretive community” to re-conceptualize the role of Arab journalists, particularly in pan-Arab media. The article also provides a critical review of recent studies on Arab journalists, showing their shortcomings and their tendency to sidestep the analysis of power distribution among journalists. It provides examples of the themes that may guide this new research confining the discussion to pan-Arab media, particularly news satellite channels. It argues for seeing Arab journalists as an interpretive community, examining the way these journalists perceive their “professional identity” and how they define the power they share in their community of practitioners.

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