5/ 10/2015
Press release
The Egyptian Coalition for Human Rights and Development issues a report evaluating the performance of the websites of Alyoum Alsabee, Nowab online, BBC Arabic are the most professional while Aljazeera net and Albawaba news are the least professional
The Egyptian Coalition for Human Rights and Development issues today its report on the media coverage of news websites on 2015 House of Representatives elections.
The report includes a content analyses study of 10 websites (Alyoum Alsabee, Alarabyia news, Nouab online, Alsyasa News) and three websites specialized in electoral affairs (Parliament Wikileaks, Nouab online, Alsyasa News), in addition to 3 non-Egyptian websites which are (Aljazeera net, Alarabya, CNN Arabic)
The report includes a qualitative and quantitative analyses results of the study websites according to the following axes:
The main and sub issues agenda.
The Acting Powers and their personal characteristics.
The sources that the websites depended on in their media coverage for these issues.
Objectivity and publishing news about the different political trends and affiliations.
The time framework of the report is during September 1st-28th.
The results of the analyses of the websites content
First: Results in regards to general news websites
In regards to Egyptian news websites (Alyoum Alsabee, Albawaba News, Vito)
The issue of parliamentary elections is on top of the priorities list of the four websites in general, followed by the issues related to the democratic transition then the calls for Constitutional amendments.
The agenda included sub-issues related to elections, coverage of candidates news, electoral violations, electoral publicity, electoral campaigns and electoral programs.
Issue related to democratic transition included disagreements, divisions in political parties and the conspiracy tailored against the public will by the ex-NDP leaders like the candidacy of Ahmed Ezz and Fathy Soror for parliamentary elections.
a-The agenda of issues that study websites were interested in:
The parliamentary elections was on top of the priorities of the four websites, followed by the democratic transition phase challenges and the calls for constitutional amendments.
b-The size of the websites interest in regards to different issues.
. Alyoum Alsabee was the website that most highlighted different issues.
In that framework, the interest size is measured through a number of criteria which are using the technique of highlighting or not, the editorial forms, and the sizes of the photos.
In regards to the first criteria, the quantitative results refer that the four websites were keen on highlighting the issues in general and that Alyoum Alsabee was the most website highlighted issues more than the other websites.
2- The sources that the websites depended on:
a- Alyoum Alsabee is the website that least depended on anonymous news
b- Alarabyia news is the website that used the most diverse sources.
The sources that websites depend on represent criteria that raise credibility of the published material on these websites. The statistical results refer to the diversity of sources that the four websites depended on.
The report stated that Alyoum Alsabee website is the website that least used anonymous news.
Vito website is the website that most published news only depending on the website journalists only. The jounalists were the main sources for topics published by the website.
Alarabyia news is the website that most used diverse sources among the study websites.
The websites sources depended on the reporter with a percentage of (59.8%), news agencies with a percentage of (15.2%), reports and documents with a percentage of (9.8%), internet with a percentage of (8.8%), and finally tv channels with a percentage of (6.4%)
The sources of the reporte varied between officials with a percentage of (44.8%), judiciary with a percentage of (32.2%), Civil society, observers and activists with a percentage of (23%)
3- Ways of persuasion:
a-Alyoum Alsabee is the website that used most real incidents as a way of persuasion.
b-Alarabya news depended on figures, statistics as a way of persuasion.
c- Emotional ways and raising fear was the mechanism of Vito to persuade citizens.
Results show that websites used scientific ways in persuasion through depending on real incidents with a percentage of (65%), usage of figures, and statistics with a percentage of (19%), while emotional ways including raising feelings of fear with a percentage of(!3%) and using religious discourse with a percentage of(3%).
Alyoum Alsabee was on top of the websites that depended on real incidents while Alarabyia news was the website that most depended on figures, statistics for citizens’ persuasion while Vito website depended on provoking emotions.
4- How committed are the websites to the criteria of professionalism:
a-Alyoum Alsabe is the most committed website to the professionalism criteria, followed by Alarabyia News.
b- Albawaba News is the least committed website to the professionalism criteria and the highest one in using ways violating professionalism.
Statistics results show that Alyoum Alsabee website is on top of the sample websites list that is committed to the criteria of professionalism with a percentage of (40.7%), Alarabyia news occupied the second rank with a percentage of (24.6%), Vito Website occupied the third rank with a percentage of (18.9%), while Albawaba news percentage was (15.8%)
Second: Results related to websites specialized in elections
a-Nouab online is the website that most highlighted issues.
In this framework, the size of interest is measured through a number of criteria which are the usage of the highlighting technique or not, the editorial forms and the sizes of photos.
In regards to the first Criteria, quantitative results refer that the three websites were keen on highlighting the issues in general and that Nouab online was the website that highlighted issues more than all other websites:
b-Sources that the websites depended on:
-Nouab online is the website that uses the most diverse sources.
-Syasa News is the website that communicated most with the civil society
-Parliament Wikileaks is the website that considers its reporters as direct sources.
The sources that websites depend on is a criteria that contributes to enhancing the credibility of the published material on these websites. Statistical results refer to the diversity of sources that the three websites depended on.
The report stated that Nouab online website was on top of websites that depended on reports and documents with a percentage of (47%), while Parliament Wikileaks was on top of the websites that depended on its reporters as direct sources with a percentage of (40%). Syasa News was the website that used most tv channels with a percentage of (10%). In regards to international news websites of the research which are (Aljazeera Net, BBC Arabic, CNN Arabic), Aljazeera net is on top of the websites that were interested in parliamentary elections and constitutional amendments while CNN Arabic was on top of interest in issues related to democratic transition and political affairs in general.
Aljazeera Net is ranked negatively in regards to coverage of parliamentary elections in general as all issues published are offensive against the Egyptian State and the electoral process as a whole.
Third: Results of International News websites
a- sources that news websites depended on
-Aljazeera Net is the website that most uses anonymous news.
-CNN is the website that most published news for both sources of the reporters and the website.
– BBC is the website that publishes least anonymous topics.
Sources that websites depend on is a criteria that contributes to enhancing the credibility of the published material on websites, statistical results refer to diversity of sources that the three websites depended on.
Aljazeera Net is the website that most published anonymous news and used unverifiable information as sources. In addition it used selective induction of incidents which contributed to an offensive effect against the House of Representatives elections as a whole. CNN is the website that used most on reporters and websites sources and it is also the most diverse website.
b- Used ways of persuasion
-Aljazeera Net depended on raising feelings of fear and intimidation to persuade readers
-BBC is the website that most used reports, statistics for persuasion.
Aljazeera net scope of interest focused on consolidation of feelings of fear, intimidation to convince followers of the website while BBC used figures, statistics and reports to convince its followers while CNN was interested in real incidents to persuade their followers.
c- Commitment to the professional criteria of the websites
-BBC is the most professional website in Egyptian affairs
-Aljazeera net is the website that most depended on anonymous news and non-specialized sources in order to pass their points of view.
Statistical results show that BBC is on top of the sample websites that were committed to professionalism criteria as it achieved (40%), CNN occupied the second rank with a percentage of (35%) while Aljazeera Net occupied third rank with a percentage of (25%).
The analyses results highlighted that Aljazeera Net website depended on a group of sources with opposition political orientation only even if they were not specialized in the topic tackled. For example, Aljazeera depended on political sources only even in legislation matters without any sort of communication with any source specialized in legal affairs. Aljazeera Net depended on one source without seeking to present the other point of view as it only depended on political activists who are opponents to June 30th revolution and they are biased against the road map and its entitlements.
