An Analytical Study of the Reality of the Syrian Local Journalism (Al-Orouba Newspaper as a Model)

Abstract

The research aimed toidentify the reality of Al-Orouba newspaper, which is published in the city of Homs as a model for the Syrian local journalism, to reveal the newspaper’s coverage of the local reality, by describing and analyzing the articles published in it, in terms of the topics covered by the newspaper, the editorial types used, the type of coverage, the information sources adopted, and the audience the newspaper addresses.

The research adopted the content analysis tool for the materials published in the newspaper during the period between 1/1/2019 to 31/3/2019, by following the industrial week method, and the sample withdrawn reached (12) numbers in rate, and the number of articles that were subjected to analysis reached (506) articles.

The results of the research showed the newspaper’s interest in service affairs in the first place, and its focus on news coverage, which is consistent with its use of news in most of its articles, and its low interest in interpretive analytical coverage. Al-Oruba newspaper did not diversify its sources of information, as an unspecified category emerged, reliance on local, Arab and international news agencies and other media, especially the Internet, was absent, and it did not pay attention to topographical elements (pictures, drawings, colors and headlines). Availability prevails over quality, especially in images.

The research called for the need to pay attention to the newspaper’s diversity in the use of editorial types, especially investigative ones, to touch the concerns and problems of the local community, address urgent issues, and connect local officials with their audiences, to diversify news sources, and to rely primarily on local citizens as they are the most familiar with their societies, to communicate with readers, and to be concerned with developing professional performance in covering local affairs, which is reflected in the quality of journalistic content, by qualifying and training journalists specializing in local affairs. The research also recommended paying attention to the editorial aspects of the newspaper in order to attract readers and advertisers.