Synopsis Role of the Media in the Presidential Election Campaign in Egypt in 2012 Study in the Light of Hybridization Theory
, Vol.2
, Second Issue
PP:21 - 22
Authors:
Dr. Adel Saleh Fahmy-Assistant Professor of Media,Mass Communication Dep. ,Faculty of Arts,Sohag University
Abstract:
This study addresses the role of media in the Egyptian presidential election of 2012. It analyzes the content of two television channels and two newspapers. These four outlets were chosen for representing state-owned and private media. Al-Ahram newspaper and Channel One TV (Al Kanat Al Oula) denote of the state-owned media, while Al-Masry Al-Youm - and Al Hayat TV are representing the private media. The selected outlets were analyzed in on two periods: (April 30 to May 20) for the first round and (May 29 to June 15) for the second round.
The study seeks to answer this question: How does media coverage the presidential election campaign of 2012? The study adopted a theoretical framework based on the hybridization approach as one of the theories used to study the role of the media in election campaigns. The study finds that the media have shown significant interest in the electoral campaign. These results confirm the growing role of the media in the election campaign which can be attributed to the political and communicative changes that have affected the evolution of the campaign in Egypt.
The results also show that the media coverage was influenced by the strategies that dominate election campaigns in many countries in terms of its focus candidates "Candidate-based" more than on political parties "Party-based. Also, findings indicate a tendency of the media to focus on the personal aspects of the presidential race, compared to dealing with the issues raised in the campaign. This points out that the media coverage of the campaign practice adopted some of the Americanization practices of the election campaign worldwide. The results point out a decline in media professionalism, particularly with regard to the quality and accuracy of the information provided by the media during the campaign. The coverage of the campaign is more descriptive and less based on facts that can to help the public to get enlightened understanding of the electoral issues.
Results show that despite the presence of many negative features characterized the performance of the media during the campaign; the neutral and positive content appeared more in the media coverage of the campaign. This confirms that critical professionalism tendency of the Egyptian media in campaign has not evolved yet. Furthermore, findings reveal that it is clear that the media probably were not a decisive factor in guiding voters in the first round or in the second round in the presidential election 2012. This means that there are other either traditional or new actors have affected the electorate decisions.
In sum, results confirm that hybridization is the most appropriate approach to interpret the relationship between the media and the campaign in the Egyptian context. There is a growing media attention in following -up to the campaign. There is increasing tendency in depending on it as a reliable source of information, while the role of political parties is declined. Also, the media coverage of the presidential campaign in 2012 adopts new practices such as, trend towards individual candidates with decline interest in parties, institutions and political forces. It also adopts personalization which is widely used in the American campaigns and many other countries affected by the Americanization. But the Egyptian media is still lacking professionalization in dealing with election in terms of the deepness and accuracy. Also Egyptian media is more neutral and positive in addressing the campaign themes and away, to some extent, from negativism.
Analyzing the media coverage results of the election emphasizes the hybridization of the Egyptian campaign. While the media gives more attention to some candidates, the people voted for other candidates who had less attention and negative coverage. This indicates that the voting decisions are still affected by traditional cultural norms more than the media.
Key Words:
Role, media, campaign, presidential election, crossbreeding theory
Research Language:
Arabic
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