A Comparative Critical Discourse Analysis of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya’s Coverage of the Egyptian Protests in the Period Preceding and following Morsi’s Ouster

Abstract

This paper aims at critically analyzing the discourse of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya in their coverage of the Egyptian uprising in the period preceding and following the ouster of Egypt’s Morsi. In particular, the study aims to examine where necessary the shifts in the way protests are reported in the news coverage of the Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya’s websites using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis model. Findings reveal that in the period preceding the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, Al-Jazeera delegitimized protesters’ cause. While after Morsi’s ouster, it wholeheartedly supported protesters as a result of its support for the Muslim Brotherhood party’s elected candidate Morsi. However, in the period preceding the ouster of Morsi, Al-Arabiya tended to legitimize protesters, while it delegitimized them after his ouster. The shifts and variations in covering protests are explained in light of the foreign policy positions of Qatar and Saudi Arabia- key players in the region and the major funders of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya respectively, in relation to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.