Al-Rai and Assabeel Newspapers’ Coverage of the Teachers’ Strike in Jordan from September 8th to October 6th, 2019: An Analytical Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to examine Al-Rai and Assabeel newspapers’ coverage of the teachers’ strike in Jordan between September 8^th and October 6^th, 2019.

Methods: The study adopts a descriptive approach to fulfill the research objectives it aims to achieve. The sample was intentionally selected from Al-Rai and Assabeel publications for a one-month period, and it includes 20 issues of each newspaper. Moreover, the study uses content analysis as a systematic tool to detect the two newspapers’ attitudes towards the strike.

Results: The results of the study reveal that Al-Rai newspaper’s coverage concerned itself with conservative news that is loyal to the state’s decision regarding the teachers’ strike, with a percentage of 97.5%. However, 40% of the news covered by Assabeel and 63% of the articles published by Assabeel were against the state’s decision on the issue of the strike. That is, Assabeel had obvious oppositional tendencies compared to Al-Rai whose opposition articles reached 20%. In addition, there are statistically significant differences in favor of Assabeel regarding the fair coverage of press conferences. The study also highlights the fact that Assabeel, unlike Al-Rai, used various journalistic techniques for reporting and analyzing news. For instance, Assabeel’s remarkable use of images (which clearly exceeds Al-Rai’s use of images) arouses emotions and attracts attention.

Conclusions: The study shows that adopting objectivity and impartiality in Jordanian newspapers, including Al-Rai and Assabeel, is necessary for reporting national issues, especially hot topics.