2609, 2025

Risks and ethics of reporting livestreamed genocide; Wael al-Dahdouh at SOAS

By Dina Matar|September 26, 2025|Uncategorized|0 comments

The Department of Media Studies, in collaboration with Al-Jazeera Media Network, and SOAS student society Islaah Collective had the honour of hosting Wael Al-Dahdouh, the former Al-Jazeera’s Bureau Chief in Gaza, for a public lecture at which the award-winning Palestinian journalist reflected on the demands of war journalism and the high price Palestinian journalists face reporting under constant death threats and military targeting by Israel. In his moving conversation with

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0207, 2025

Why I Chose to Study MA Global Media and Digital Communications at SOAS

By Dina Matar|July 2, 2025|Uncategorized|0 comments

Why I Chose to Study MA Global Media and Digital Communications at SOAS  Lilato Madiri Since 2017, I have been working in community management, building digital networks and nurtured spaces for brands across various industries—engaging people at the intersection of culture, communication, activism, and commercialisation. Looking back now, this involvement gave me first-hand experience of how digital media and online communities were reimagining the structures of voice, visibility, and power.

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3003, 2024

Navigating a Multifaceted Predicament: Egypt’s Media Discourse in the Face of Gaza Conflict, Presidential Elections, and Public Anger

By Dounia Mahlouly|March 30, 2024|Media spectacle and crisis, Students, The Middle East, Uncategorized|0 comments

Author: Nada Kabbary, Media Researcher and Chevening Scholar @ King’s College, Digital Humanities Amidst a substantial economic crisis and preparations for a presidential election scheduled for December 2023, the Egyptian state was primarily focused on cultivating a favourable image of its primary candidate while suppressing potential contenders that posed a threat to its power. This strategic manoeuvre aimed to facilitate President El-Sisi’s pursuit of a third term in office. However,

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2903, 2023

The Irony of Sisi’s War on Disinformation

By Dounia Mahlouly|March 29, 2023|Uncategorized|0 comments

In 2018, Egypt passed a new law criminalising the publication of online content deemed “fake news”. Since then, the issue of disinformation has been conveniently invoked to legitimise state control over the media and further securitise the online space. Human rights advocates reported that Sisi’s war on disinformation is used to reassert the agenda of national security. This became particularly obvious in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, during which

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2903, 2023

Egypt Claims to Counter Disinformation, but Whose Disinformation is Sisi Fighting?

By Dounia Mahlouly|March 29, 2023|Arab uprisings, Digital cultures, Social media, The Middle East, Uncategorized|0 comments

Misinformation – whether deliberately harmful or unintentionally misleading – is nothing new. Political actors have always competed for attention and legitimacy by strategically framing their narrative, occasionally distorting the facts or counteracting alternative versions of the truth. The term ‘disinformation’ however became somewhat of a buzzword in recent years (Bennett and Livingston, 2018). In today’s media environment, the debate surrounding this issue specifically pertains to unverified or misappropriated claims as

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2009, 2022

Marvel’s Captain America and Sabra’s origins in propaganda

By Dina Matar|September 20, 2022|Uncategorized|0 comments

SOAS MA Media and the Middle East graduate Nadine Sayegh comments on the latest Marvel comic For Marvel comic fans, the introduction of the new character ‘Sabra’, announced last weekend at the D23 Expo held in Anaheim, California, generated considerable discussion, particularly because the comic introduces Israeli actress Shira Haas cast as ‘Sabra’ in the upcoming Captain America franchise, New World Order. Discussions ranged from the title of the film

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1502, 2022

The Spotify Dilemma: what is the problem?

By Dina Matar|February 15, 2022|Uncategorized|0 comments

Dina Matar[1] The ongoing public controversy around the use of Spotify by podcast host Joe Rogan to spread misinformation and false claims about Covid vaccines has sparked fresh concerns about the role of Big Tech in spreading misinformation and fake news, the assumed power these networks have in changing or influencing social and political attitudes and the need to regulate their content. The controversy escalated last week as several high-profile

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1307, 2021

By Dina Matar|July 13, 2021|Uncategorized|0 comments

Race and the media; is more regulation the answer? Dina Matar, Centre for Global Media and Communication[1] The highly publicized incidents of virulent British racial abuse against young black football players following the defeat of the English team in the Euro 2020 championship at the weekend, and reactions to these abuses, are not new. Indeed, in February this year, online racist abuse also aimed at Black football players provoked a

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1504, 2021

Is Clubhouse the latest new media technology for change in the Middle East?

By Dina Matar|April 15, 2021|Digital cultures, Uncategorized|0 comments

Dina Matar, Chair, Centre for Global Media and Communication The story of the popularity of the audio chatroom app. Clubhouse, in the Middle East seems to follow a well-trodden route – the platform is launched in the region and elsewhere; the app is quickly taken up by users eager to talk about anything- from what to wear in Zoom calls to discussions of taboo topics, such as honour killings in

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