UC book explores Egypt and Al Jazeera English

Alison Dance

28 May 2014:  In just 18 days, a Middle Eastern newsroom became known worldwide for its coverage of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, according to a new book by PhD student and communications tutor Scott Bridges.

18 Days: Al Jazeera English and the Egyptian Revolution analyses the coverage of the revolution by Al Jazeera English, a 24-hour international TV news channel based in Doha, Qatar.

“The Egyptian Revolution led to the resignation of long-serving President Hosni Mubarak who had been in power for 30 years. Al Jazeera English stood out among other broadcasters during the 18-day revolution as they dedicated almost 24 hours of airtime each day to the story. They also had more correspondents around Egypt than their competitors – who had strong understandings of the story and its context,” Mr Bridges says, whose PhD focuses on Al Jazeera’s expansion outside the Arabic-speaking world.

Mr Bridges began writing the book after working as a freelance director at the headquarters in Doha, Qatar for nine months in 2011 and 2012.

“The revolution took place during my three month break between two contracts. I was watching the coverage by Al Jazeera English and it was incredible. It was clear that station stood out among other English-language broadcasters,” he says.

“The book looks at the core 18 days of the revolution and analyses it as an entry point to understanding what Al Jazeera English is, how it works and what its values are.”

Scott Bridges. Photo: Michelle McAulay

Al Jazeera English was established in 2006 as part of the Al Jazeera Network, which has over 20 channels and broadcasts to more than 220 million households in 130 countries.

While working in the newsroom, Mr Bridges discovered the need for his book after he realised “there was a gap between the way people understand how the network works and how it actually does work.”

“It really is a unique news network in their ownership, corporate structures and the way it reports news. A big difference is it doesn’t have the commercial pressures other networks have.”

He says its viewer numbers drastically increased during the revolution, especially in major Western markets.

“In the US, internet traffic to the network exploded during the 18 days of the revolution and people noticed the difference in coverage between the channel and its competitors.

“It certainly brought Al Jazeera to the attention of people who had never heard of it before or those who weren’t aware it had an English-language version.”

Mr Bridges was also working at Al Jazeera English when Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed during the later stages of the Libyan Civil War.

“There’s something about when there’s big news, if you’re in the control room it feels like you’re closer to what’s happening. It was a very crowded room during big events like Gaddafi’s capture.”

18 Days: Al Jazeera English and the Egyptian Revolution is available as an e-book and in hard copy.