1. Atlanta, November 18
Transparency in
theArabworld
HowjournalistsfromEgypt and the UAE
deal withinstrumentscreatingjournalistictransparency
Andreas Straeter
Department of Journalism
Dortmund University of Technology S
andreas.straeter@uni-dortmund.de

3. Agenda
Transparency in
theArabworld
S transparency in general and in journalism
S transparencyinstrumentrs
S researchdesign
S results
S literature
S further links

4. Whatistransparency
(in general)?
„ (...) availability of information and as a
disclosure of it (...)“ (Craft/Heim 2009: 219)
„ (...) the accessibility of information to
stakeholders of institutions, regarding matters
that effect their interests (...)“ (Tapscott/Ticoll
2003: 22)
„Secrecy means deliberately hiding your
actions, transparency means deliberately
revealing them”
(Florini 2002: 14) S

5. Transparency
S In all disciplines, transparency has taken up a high place value:
politics economics
consumerism journalism
financial world …
S engines: globalization, Internet, first generation of digital
natives
S Transparency as a business selling argument
S Transparency creates accountability and reliance (in all areas)

6. Transparency in journalism
journalism-internal journalism-external
S Transparency, which is created S Media journalism
by journalists themselves
S Information on the editorial S academic research
department and its general
S blogs
framework
S Information on journalistic S online comments
work processes and sources
S Information on editorial S Media criticism in Social Networks
decision processes
S …

7. Transparency Instruments
S Simple transparency- S Innovative transparency-
instruments instruments
S byline, Information on the S Internet transfers of editorial
authors background conferences („open newsroom“)
S editorial blogs
S Publishing guidelines and
codes of ethics S media journalism (as a
department)
S deep links
S error section, mistake button
S direct accessibility of S ombudsmen, „reader lawyer“
authors
S cyber/ombudsmen
S social media connections
S participation of the reader in the
S possibility to comment process of investigation
S … S making the process of news
decision public
S …

8. • Country
recruitment: Research
design
•Empirical survey instrument:
semi-structured qualitative
interview guides
•Sampling: twelve journalists and
media professionals have been
interviewed at spot, between
November 2011 and May 2012
•Survey form: interviews Face-to-
Face or via telephone and skype
•Key question: How do
UAE versus journalists deal with instruments
creating journalistic transparency?
Egypt (four Hypotheses)

9. Results
„I thinkthatArab media has learnt a lot of
lessonsfromtheArab Spring.“
Journalist, Al Arabiya (Dubai)
S Initial signs suggest that both, Emirati and Egyptian media, have
drawn first findings from the political and social upheavels of the
„Arab Spring“.
S People want their voices to be heart, so they want to comment media
content and they want to have content as transparent as possible
S Media in both countries, they allow comments and create openness
S In a digital world, it seems almost impossible to supressdiscussions,
but there are no or very few innovative instruments to be found

10. Results
„TV, thereyoucanactuallyseemuch
more of theold, crustystrutures.
Thisismore a one-way-communication.“
TV-Journalist, Kairo
S Print media is more transparent than TV and
broadcasting outlets.
S General statement is hard to find in this context, each
medium should be analyzed on its own in terms of
transparency
S But: media have to be transparent to stay within the market

11. Results
„Theyarenotusingthesetoolswiththeirfullpotencial
s and onlyusingthem (...) as window-dressing.“
Media Professional.Egypt Media DevelopmentProgram, Kairo
S Social media tools and connections have a slightly
illusionary show-effect
S In some cases, they were only installed because of
marketing and business reasons stabilizing the media brand
S Social media tools tend to contribute to transparency by its
very nature, although this is not intended

12. Results
„Of course, because, whatyouhide,
isgoing to bethere.“
„People want to havecommunication,
so they start to communicate.“
Journalist, Al-Ahkbar, Kairo
S Theflap-up of transparencycanbeseen in
thepoliticalcontext of theimpact of the „Arab Spring“
S People want to theirvoices to beheart – even in a
supressivesphere
S Journaliststry to transparent as theycan

13. Literature I
• Ayish, Muhammad I. (2009): Das Mediensystem der Golfstaaten
Bahrein, Katar, Kuwait, Saudi-Arabien und der Vereinigten Arabischen
Emirate. In: Internationales Handbuch Medien. Hans-Bredow-Institut.
Baden-Baden.
• Bardoel, Jo / D’Haenens, Leen (2004): Media responsibility and
accountability: New conceptualizations and practices. In:
Communications 29, pp. 5-25.
• Craft, Stephanie / Heim, Kyle (2009): Transparency in Journalism.
Meaning, Merits, and Risks. In. Wilkins, Lee / Clifford, G. (eds):
TheHandbook of Mass Media Ethics. New York, London.
• El Gody, Ahmed (2009): Das Mediensystem in Ägypten. In:
Internationales Handbuch Medien. Hans-Bredow-Institut. Baden-
Baden.
• Florini, Ann (2002): The End of Secrecy. In: Finel, Bertrand I. / Lord,
Kristin M.: Power and Conflict in the Age of Transparency. New York.

14. Literature II
• Bettels, Tina / Fengler, Susanne / Sträter, Andreas / Trilling Mariella
(2011): Mogelpackung im WWW. Wie europäische Medien ihr Publikum online
an redaktionellen Prozessen teilhaben lassen – Ergebnisse einer international
vergleichenden Studie. Dortmund.
• Fengler, Susanne (2011):FromSelf-Regulation to 'Crowd-Criticism': Media
Accountability in the Digital Age. Im Review-Verfahren Central European
Journal of Communication. Dortmund.
• Meier, Klaus / Reimer, Julius (2011): Transparenz im Journalismus.
Instrumente, Konfliktpotenziale, Wirkung. In: Publizistik. Wiesbaden.
• Seib, Philip (Hrsg.) (2007a): New Media and the New Middle East. New York
[u.a.].
• Tapscott, Don / Ticoll, David (2003): TheNakedCooperation. Howthe Age of
Transparency Will Revolutionize Business. Toronto.
• Zweiri, Mahjoob / Murphy, Emma C. (Hrsg.) (2011):The New Arab Media.
Technology, Image and Perception. Bodmin / King's Lynn.

15. Contact
S Andreas Straeter
S Dortmund University of Technology, Germany
S Department of Journalism
S Contact me:
S andreas.straeter@uni-dortmund.de
S My work: www.andreasstraeter.de
S ++49 160 98654815