Analyzing media power in the Arab world

Traditional liberal theory portrays the role of media as a watchdog that holds the state accountable. This model, however, does not take into account the other shareholders. Therefore, it does not guarantee “a check on the abuse of all sources of power in both the public and private realms” (Curran 2005, 124). While state media can be accused of aligning with official policies, private media can be argued to compromise institutional independence or downgrade investigative journalism in favor of lighter and more popular genres (Curran 2005, 129). In the case of Arab media, private media ventures have contributed to increasing competitiveness among local and regional media outlets, although it can be argued that these media are fettered by the state.