A PhD dissertation at the College of Mass Communication, University of Baghdad, titled “Iraqi Journalists’ Dependence on Social Media Trends and Their Impact on News Priorities: A Survey Study,” examines how journalists in Iraq rely on social media trends in shaping news content and setting editorial priorities. The research was conducted by Ammaar Emad Ahmed from the Department of Digital Journalism.
The study committee included Professor Dr. Azhar Subaih (chair), Professor Dr. Shukria Kaukaz Al-Sarraj (supervisor), Assistant Professor Dr. Ruaa Hadi Saleh, Assistant Professor Dr. Bairaq Hussein, Assistant Professor Dr. Karim Mashat, and Assistant Professor Dr. Mohammed Othman (external member).
The research explores the extent of journalists’ reliance on trending topics across social media platforms and their role in news production amid rapid digital media transformations. It also investigates motivations, editorial engagement, credibility assessment, and the use of multimedia tools in handling trending content.
Findings show that Facebook was the most used platform for sourcing trending topics, followed by X, TikTok, and Instagram. The study also found that public opinion topics ranked highest, followed by entertainment and breaking news categories.
The study recommends that Iraqi media institutions establish clear editorial policies for monitoring and evaluating trends, and expand tracking to include visual and interactive platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
