By Khetam Malkawi JORDAN TIMES
AMMAN – Two-thirds of Jordanians believe that satellite TV channels had a role in driving recent protests and revolutions in the Arab world, a newly released survey showed.
The poll, “How the public evaluates media coverage of the Arab revolutions” surveyed 1,933 participants from across the Kingdom, 53 per cent of whom believe that Al Jazeera in particular had a role in inciting Arab Spring protests, while 26 per cent said the same of Al Arabiya.
The poll findings, which were revealed yesterday at the Media Freedom Defenders in the Arab World Forum, also showed that 85 per cent followed the news related to revolutions and protests in the Arab world.
Conducted by the Centre for Strategic Studies, the survey indicated that 39 per cent considered Al Jazeera the most credible source of news, followed by Jordan Television with 13 per cent and Al Arabiya with 12 per cent.
Television in general was the most popular news medium, with 98 per cent saying they watched the news on TV, while 33 per cent read newspapers, 29 per cent read the news online and 23 per cent listen to the news on the radio.
In addition, 49 per cent of respondents said they depend on their friends as a source of news.
Of the 85 per cent who said they were following the news of the Arab Spring, 42 per cent said that some media outlets were impartial in covering the revolts, while 37 per cent said they were not.
Of those respondents who said that some outlets were reporting objectively, 47 per cent said Al Jazeera was unbiased and 24 per cent said Al Arabiya was, while only 5 per cent said the same of Syrian Television.