Master's Thesis: Saudi electronic newspapers' employment of video journalism in covering local events: an analytical field study
, Vol.10
, Thirty-ninth Issue
PP:0
Authors:
Hatem Abed Abdullah Al-Rahili-MA Journalism,Department of Journalism ,Faculty of Mass Communication,Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University
Abstract:
This study aimed to identify how Saudi electronic newspapers use video journalism to cover local stories. This is done by identifying the most important local events covered by video journalism, identifying the strategy of capturing frames used by video journalism in its coverage of local stories at the study websites, observing the key figures in developments, and knowing how much Saudi electronic newspapers are interested in qualifying their journalists to cover local stories through video journalism, and the tools used by those contacted, and identifying the motives for the use of video journalism by sources.
This study belongs to descriptive research and is based on the quantitative and qualitative survey methodology. The quantitative aspect is concerned with analytical study. The qualitative aspect was concerned with field study. On information collection, the study relied on the tools of content analysis and in-depth interviews.
English translation.
The analytical study sample included the websites of (Al-Youm, Sabq, and Okaz newspapers) which were selected intentionally, where the sample of the time period extended between March 5, 2018 and March 19, 2019, and monitored shots of the video, where the videos in the study period totaled 170 videos, divided as follows: 66 videos from the website of Al-Youm newspaper, 50 videos from the website of Sabq newspaper, and 54 videos from the website of Okaz newspaper.
The field study sample, which was applied by the contactors, consisted of a sample of 9 journalists from the study community of 57 journalists, including three journalists from each website, two from the video journalism Section Manager at the website, and two field journalists who make videos on each website.
Major study English translation. Major conclusions are:
Analytical study conclusions:
1. The three study websites (Al-Youm, Sabq, and Okaz) concentrated on local events, which was evident from the volume of press coverage of the video journalism that these events received on the study websites. The number of videos on the study websites in their coverage of local events was 170 videos, and the percentage of videos on the website of Al-Youm newspaper (38.8%) of the sample size, which makes it the most productive list of videos, followed by Okaz website (31.7%), followed by the website of Sabq newspaper (29.5%). The website of Sabq newspaper is considered with the most viewed local events by the public, with 41.9%, followed by the website of Al-Youm newspaper (35.1%), followed by the website of Okaz newspaper (23.0%).
2. Women-related developing stories, hajj-related stories, youth-related stories, and the events related to the King and HRH the Crown Prince's visits to the regions were at the forefront of local events covered by video journalism at the study websites, with women 16.5% at first place, followed by hajj-related events (14.1%), youth-related events (12.9%), and finally events related to the King and HRH the Crown Prince’s visit to the regions (11.8%).
English translation.
3. Journalists were among the top-ranked sources in the study websites, with a significant difference from other sources (88.8%), followed by the video source "Citizens", where they came in with 5.8%, and finally the sources of the video "TV footage" by a narrow margin from the sources of "citizens" at (5.2%).
4. The use of the "limited" frame was the foremost of the types of video journalism frames at the study websites, and the "Humanitarian Concerns" frame was at the forefront of video journalism frames for local events at the study websites.
Conclusions of the field study:
5. Through the answers of the subjects, it turned out that video journalists in the study websites have a strong knowledge of the components of video journalism and its environment. They have knowledge of the technology and how to deal with it, as well as they have full knowledge of the media policy of the press websites, and have knowledge of Saudi media policies, but they do not have sufficient knowledge of the types of shots and camera angles in their meanings and semi-semiotic indications. English translation.
6. Respondents varied in their responses to motives, with the study sample journalists seeing the motivations in the use of video journalism were the desire and personal tendency to use video journalism, some of whom saw the need for the website to use video journalism, some of whom saw the use of video journalism as an additional source of income for it, and others view that the use of video journalism as the future career and media.
7. Journalists at the study websites use Canon cameras, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 mobile phones in their coverage of local stories.
Key Words:
Online Newspapers, Video Journalism, Saudi Press, Local Events.
Research Language:
Arabic
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