Al Jazeera in the Central European media: 9/11 and the “Arab Spring” compared
Jaromir Hanzal (Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic),
Ákos Balogh (Hungary),
Michalina Guzikowska (University of Warsaw, Poland),
Gabriela Mezeiova (Media Academy, Slovakia)
ABSTRACT: This article presents a study of Al Jazeera perceptions in Central European print media based on a quantitative content analysis. The research compares two year-long periods, which cover the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ‘Arab Spring’ two sets of events that drove global attention to the region of Middle East and North Africa and beyond. Building on previous research in this field, the authors analysed 94 different newspapers for perceived affiliations to terrorism, using Al Jazeera as a source of information or the structure of genres in texts mentioning the station among other variables. Special emphasis is put on the case of Libyan revolutionary events.