The BBC and Al Jazeera English: The Similarities and Differences in the Discourse of the Pre-Election Coverage of the 2009 Iranian Election

Authors

  • Mohd Faizal Kasmani Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Keywords:

Iranian election, critical discourse analysis, global news, BBC, Al Jazeera

Abstract

This article aims to understand to what extent the news-gathering factor explained global news coverage of the 2009 Iranian election. It examines the differences and similarities between the BBC and Al Jazeera English (AJE) pre-election coverage of the 2009 Iranian election, when all the international networks were relatively free to report on the Iranian street. It triangulates critical discourse analysis of the BBC and AJE news with the results of interviews with BBC reporters and editors who were involved in coverage of the election. The analysis reveals more similarities than differences in the pre-election coverage of the BBC and AJE. It concludes that shared occupational ideology among international journalists and the lack of access to the conservative group and the Iranian authorities contributed to the convergence of coverage of both networks during the pre-election period.

Author Biography

Mohd Faizal Kasmani, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Mohd Faizal Kasmani was a former broadcast journalist at 8TV/TV9 news channels in Malaysia from 2005 to 2007. He was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship in 2004 and he obtained his MA from the University of Sheffield in Journalism (Broadcast). He received his PhD in Arab, Islam and the Middle East from the Australian National University. He is also a lecturer of Communication at the Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). His interests include media discourse, journalism studies and political Islam.

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Published

2013-08-29

Issue

Vol. 7 (2013)

Section

Articles

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