Alhurra TV Research Project is a year-long effort evaluating Alhurra TV's news and topical programming. Established in 2004, Alhurra TV is the broadcasting arm of the U.S. government-funded Broadcasting Board of Governors and broadcasts news, talk shows, entertainment and cultural programming throughout North Africa and the Middle East. This project will evaluate Alhurra around four primary research questions:
(1) Does Alhurra TV provide viewers in the Middle East with a reliable source of accurate, objective and comprehensive news and information?
(2) Does Alhurra TV present United States policies and responsible discussions of those policies as required under the statute and Code of Ethics?
(3) Does Alhurra TV programming promote freedom, democracy and human rights in the Arab world?
(4) Is Alhurra TV programming designed so as to effectively reach a significant audience?
In order to answer these questions, we are pursuing two coordinated strands of research: (1) assembling three working groups, in Cairo, Beirut, and Dubai, consisting of media experts, professors of communication, and media practitioners; and (2) conducting a qualitative content analysis measuring the news agenda and political balance of Alhurra TV's programming.
The project will result in a white paper-evaluation of Alhurra TV's news and topical programming based upon the results on the working groups and content analysis in the Summer of 2008.
Principal Investigator: Philip Seib
Co-Investigators: Nick Cull, Patti Riley
Research Manager: Shawn Powers
Project Staff: Danielle Kelton, Lydia Marcos, Lana Shamma
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