How Al Jazeera reported the Arab Spring: A preliminary comparative analysis

This article provides a preliminary analysis of the ways in which Al Jazeera’s interaction with alternative media practitioners and activists during the Arab Spring was represented both in their reportage and reporting by others. The article presents a comparative analysis of the ways that AJE, CNN and BBC interacted with alternative modes of journalistic practice during the initial days of the Arab Spring protests. Focusing on Egypt and Libya on six politically important days during the protests, this article will suggest that AJE’s coverage was more successful at integrating ‘amateur’ material into their reportage. In doing so, the article seeks to discuss both the new and traditional news production frameworks that have informed the interaction between those who have witnessed and those who have reported on the events of the Arab Spring.