A doctoral dissertation titled “News Coverage of the 2023 Sudan Crisis in Arab News Websites: A Survey Study of Al Arabiya Net, Alsumaria News, and Sudan Tribune” was discussed at the College of Mass Communication, University of Baghdad.
The dissertation was presented by Haider Abdul Redha, a researcher from the Department of Digital Journalism.
The examination committee was chaired by Prof. Dr. Shukria Kokaz Al-Sarraj, with Assist. Prof. Dr. Basim Waheed Jouni serving as the supervisor. Committee members included Prof. Dr. Salem Jassim Mohammed, Assist. Prof. Dr. Nouh Ezz El-Din, Assist. Prof. Dr. Montaha Hadi, and Prof. Dr. Sahar Khalifa as the external examiner.
The study aimed to examine how Arab news websites covered the 2023 Sudan crisis and to explore the relationship between their news treatment and the engagement of Iraqi audiences with the crisis.
The researcher adopted a survey methodology combining descriptive and analytical approaches and employed content analysis to examine news coverage published by Al Arabiya Net, Alsumaria News, and Sudan Tribune.
The findings showed that Al Arabiya Net and Sudan Tribune adopted descriptive, field-based reporting that emphasized the causes, ethical implications, and responsibilities surrounding the crisis. The study found that these editorial approaches influenced the level of engagement among Iraqi audiences by offering a combination of on-the-ground reporting and strategic analysis.
The study recommended that local and regional newsrooms invest more extensively in visual explanatory journalism and data journalism. It also called on media professionals to adopt the principles of peace journalism to promote balanced, responsible, and conflict-sensitive news coverage.
