nec palestine media survey apr11

8/6/2019 NEC Palestine Media Survey Apr11

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Survey of Palestinian mediaDecember 2010 to April 2011

Prepared by

Near East ConsultingRamallah

May 2010


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Table of Content

I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 4

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 4

III.METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 6

IV.POLITICAL AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT AFFECTING MEDIA ............................... 9

A. Political Environment________________________________________________________ 9B. Legal Environment _________________________________________________________ 14

V. MEDIA MAPPING .............................................................................................................. 17A. Number of Organizations According to activity _________________________________ 17B. Year of Establishment ______________________________________________________ 17C. Affiliation_________________________________________________________________ 18D. Funding __________________________________________________________________ 19E. Objectives of the Media Organizations_________________________________________ 19F. Location of Media Organizations _____________________________________________ 20G. Source of Permit ___________________________________________________________ 21H. Geographical Reach ________________________________________________________ 22

I. Staffing___________________________________________________________________ 23J. The Main Focus of Media Organizations _______________________________________ 24K. Sources of Information______________________________________________________ 25L. Obstacles and Restrictions Confronting Media Organizations in Palestine ___________ 25M. Self-Evaluation ____________________________________________________________ 26N. List of Main Media Organizations ____________________________________________ 27

VI.AUDIENCE SURVEY: RATINGS AND PERCEPTIONS ................................................ 31A. Importance of News ________________________________________________________ 31B. Most Important Source of Information ________________________________________ 32C. Most Trusted Source of Information___________________________________________ 34D. Broadcast Media Ratings and Consumer Habits_________________________________ 36

1. Palestinian TV and radio ............................................................................................................................362. Most popular TV stations...........................................................................................................................373. Most popular Radio stations.......................................................................................................................414. Viewing and listening habits......................................................................................................................435. Duration of watching and listening to broadcast media .......... ........... .......... ........... ........... .......... ........... ...46

E. Newspaper Readership______________________________________________________ 471. Readership levels .......................................................................................................................................472. Reasons to read the newspaper...................................................................................................................493. Most trusted newspapers............................................................................................................................51

F. Internet and New Media_____________________________________________________ 531. Internet access ............................................................................................................................................532. Frequency of usage ....................................................................................................................................553. Reasons for using the Internet....................................................................................................................574. Social Networking......................................................................................................................................60

G. Public Perceptions of the Palestinian Media ____________________________________ 621. Freedom of journalists................................................................................................................................622. Journalists performance ............................................................................................................................653. Perceptions of Palestinian broadcast media ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... ........... ........... ........664. What distinguishes local stations .......... .......... ........... ........... ........... ........... .......... ........... ........... .......... .....685. Preferred programmes................................................................................................................................706. Objectivity of Local Coverage ...................................................................................................................72

VII.JOURNALISM TRAINING IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES ........................... 76


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A. Universities _______________________________________________________________ 77B. Palestinian NGOs __________________________________________________________ 79C. International NGOs ________________________________________________________ 81

VIII. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................. 84

IX.RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................................... 85

X. ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................ 87A. Audience Questionnaire _____________________________________________________ 87

B. Media Organizations Questionnaire ___________________________________________ 91C. List of figures______________________________________________________________ 94D. List of tables_______________________________________________________________ 96


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ANALYSIS OF PALESTINE'S MEDIA ENVIRONMENT

I. INTRODUCTION

This survey was conducted by Near East Consulting for Fondation Hirondelle, with funding fromthe Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Fondation Hirondelle is a Swiss non-governmental organization founded by journalists in 1995to bring independent, professional information to populations in crisis and transition countries. Ithas worked in Kosovo, Nepal and East Timor. Fondation Hirondelle currently has radio stationsin several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, where itco-manages the UN radio stations.

In Palestine, Fondation Hirondelle has been working with the Hope Flowers School andCommunity Centre in Bethlehem to launch a new radio station for peace and human dignity. Yetthe Palestinian media scene is crowded, complex and rapidly evolving. An independent, up todate and comprehensive survey of the sector is therefore a vital policy tool for all stakeholders.

It is in this context that the survey came about. Fondation Hirondelle launched an open call forproposals in October 2010 for a partner to implement the survey in Palestine. In consultationwith the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, it selected Near East Consulting ofRamallah. NEC carried out the audience survey and media mapping in December 2010, andfocus groups in February 2011. In March, Fondation Hirondelle and NEC organized a workshopin Ramallah to present the initial findings and discuss them with media practitioners in Palestine.

The work has taken place over several months, owing to the quantity and complexity of theinformation. This report looks not only at the current media players in Palestine and audienceattitudes towards them, but also at other aspects affecting the work of the media in Palestine,such as the political and legal context, and journalism training. It includes recommendationsdrawn up by NEC, in consultation with local analysts and media players, on how to strengthen

independent media in Palestine.

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There are 192 functioning media organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).Out of 184 media organizations that responded to our mapping survey, 27 are TV stations and66 are radio stations. 145 are in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and 39 in the GazaStrip.

Most Palestinian TV and radio stations broadcast only to the governorate or district where theyare based. Only 19% of TV stations and 19% of radio stations claim to broadcast throughout the

OPTs.

More than three-quarters of media outlets (80%) say their funding comes mainly from privatesources such as advertising. Only 4% say they get government funding, while 16% say they arefinanced by local and international NGOs.

More than half of all the media organizations (53%) say they have suffered restrictions at sometime in the past such as closure, threats and attacks on staff or property. A majority 75% see the


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Israeli occupation as the main restriction they currently face, but a significant number also citedthe PA government in Ramallah and the Hamas government in Gaza.

Palestinians are hungry for news. Thirty-six percent of Palestinian adults surveyed by NEC saidthey always follow the news, while 57% said they sometimes do and only 6% said they neverfollow the news.

Forty-two percent of Palestinians say international satellite TV is their most important source ofinformation, compared with only 24% for local TV, 20% for Internet, 8% for local radio and 3%

for newspapers.

A majority of Palestinians (70%) have access to the Internet, mainly at home (85%), and three-quarters use the Internet daily. Perhaps surprisingly, there is wider access to the Internet inGaza (76%) than in the West Bank (67%). Young people spend the most time surfing theInternet, with 28% of 18-24 year olds saying they spend more than four hours daily.

Sixty percent of Palestinians surveyed use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Ofthese, 21% use them extensively, 24% moderately and 15% rarely. Again, usage is mostpronounced among the young, with 33% of people in the 18-24 age group saying they usesocial networks extensively.

The five most watched TV stations in the OPTs are Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera (31%watched it the day before the survey); the Palestinian Authority station Palestine TV (18%);MBC entertainment channels (18%); Al-Arrabiyah news channel, which also belongs to theDubai-based MBC, (7.5%); and Abu Dhabi TV (5%). These stations are all available on satellite,which is widely used by households in both the West Bank and Gaza.

The five most popular radio stations are Ajyal (15%), the Palestinian Authority station SoutFalastin (8%), Sout-al-Aqsa (7%), Al Quds (6%), and private station Raya FM. Sout-al-Aqsa,which is close to Hamas, and Sout Al Quds, which is close to Islamic Jihad, are listened tomostly in Gaza.

Most local TV and radio stations have only a tiny share of the overall market. Preferred

programmes on local TV and radio deal with news, Palestinian politics and municipal/ localissues, but about one-third of Palestinians in the audience survey said they do not believe thatlocal TV and radio coverage of local issues is objective. Of these people, more than 60% citedpolitical partisanship as the main reason, followed by self-censorship, lack of professionalismand financial restrictions.

Focus group participants said they thought low audiences for local stations were because ofweak financial resources, lack of professionalism, absence of original, independent newsreporting and lack of variety in local programming.


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III. METHODOLOGY

The core research for this report consisted of a Media Mapping exercise, an Audience Surveyand a series of Focus Groups. The methodology for each of these is described below.

Media Mapping

The first step was drafting a questionnaire that was used to interview most media organizationsin the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) face to face or by phone. NEC developed thequestionnaire in consultation with Fondation Hirondelle and a number of media experts. Prior tothe fieldwork, the questionnaire was pretested and minor modifications were made pursuant tothe pre-test.

After finalizing the questionnaire, the research team embarked on preparing a list of mediaorganizations active in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip. To thisend, NEC made use of all of the available directories on media organizations in Palestineincluding the yellow pages, PASSIA1, the list of the Ministry of Interior and of the Ministry ofInformation. NEC consulted many organizations and individuals. After all sources wereexhausted, 440 organizations were listed.

Many of the listed media organizations were difficult to locate. NECs team searched on theInternet or asked other institutions about them. Some were located in this way.

After finalizing the lists, NEC assigned well-experienced interviewers who were instructed onhow to administer interviews in their respective areas. Prior to the interview, the responsibleperson in each media institution was contacted by the field coordinator to set an appointment forthe visit.

Less than half of the 440 organizations listed were found to be functioning. Their status is givenin the table below. Data analysis is based only on the 184 media organizations functioningcurrently and interviewed for this survey.

Table 1: Status of listed media organizations in Palestine

Number of organizationsThe status of the media organizations

184Functioning currently and interviewed8Refused to answer but known to be functioning10Interviewed but closed59Closed and not interviewed

179No information about them

1PASSIA is the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs Jerusalem.


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Audience Survey

The survey was conducted in December 2010 by Near East Consulting (NEC), and coveredsome 2,700 households. NEC used Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI), employingrandom digit dialling of household landlines, to select a representative sample across the WestBank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.2 In drawing the sample, NEC ensured thatthe sampling frame took into consideration all the communities in the OPTs enumerated by thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) during the 2007 Census.

Due to the lack of homogeneity among the Palestinians, NEC divided the OPTs into fivegeographical areas: North West Bank, Middle West Bank, South West Bank, North Gaza Stripand South Gaza Strip. About 550 randomly selected telephone numbers were assigned to eachregion. Thus, in reality, five samples were drawn. About 2,700 interviews were completed out ofsome 3,500 dialled numbers. Following is the margin of error for each of the five areas as wellas for the West Bank, for the Gaza Strip, and for the OPTs as a whole.

Figure 1: Margin of error for the various areas

Sample of548

+/- 4.2%Margin of

error

95%

Confidencelevel

Sample of489

+/- 4.4%Margin of

error

95%

Confidencelevel

Sample of546

+/- 4.2%Margin of

error

95%

Confidencelevel

Sample of539

+/- 4.3%Margin of

error

95%

Confidencelevel

Sample of577

+/- 4.1%Margin of

error

95%

Confidencelevel

North WB Middle WB South WB North GS South GS

WEST BANK GAZA STRIPSample of 1583 Sample of 1116+/- 2.5% Margin of error +/- 2.9% Margin of error

Sample of 2,699 for the Fondation Hirondelle survey+/- 1.89% Margin of error

The questionnaire was drafted by NEC in close cooperation with Fondation Hirondelle, so as tocapture the required information and facilitate analysis according to pre-determined variables.The questionnaire was pre-tested in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (total of 40interviews in both regions) prior to the interviewing process, and was modified slightly based onthe outcome of the pre-test.

NEC relied on a pool of experienced interviewers. Most of NECs interviewers are collegestudents or have a degree in one of the disciplines in the social sciences. They are a mix ofyoung women and men who were trained extensively prior to this survey on how to administer

this particular questionnaire. Supervisors were always present to provide the interviewers withinstructions.

2 For East Jerusalem, NEC used the phone prefix there and added randomized four digits to selecthouseholds. Commercial offices were excluded from the interviews.


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Once the questionnaire was finalized and pre-tested, NEC proceeded with data collection.NECs surveying operation was functional on a daily basis during the second half of December2010 from 9 am until 9 pm, so as to ensure that all household members were present. 3

Data was checked and cleaned both by supervisors in the field and at the end of the survey toensure that it had been properly entered and that no interviewer bias occurred.Data was weighted according to population size and male-female ratios, using data from thePCBS census of mid-2007. The variables that were used in the analysis were: age ofrespondents, gender, place and area of residence, poverty level, and region. The analysis

focused primarily on statistically significant relationships.

In general, the analysis focused on two sets of variables. The first was on the basis of region ofresidence of the respondents, and the second was on the national level. As mentioned earlier,when the analysis was carried out on the national level, weighting according to population sizewas carried out in order to reflect the representation of each region and also the actual size ofthe West Bank as opposed to the Gaza Strip. However, when the analysis was done accordingto each of the five regions, the data was not weighted.

Focus Groups

Focus groups are a valuable methodology for obtaining in-depth qualitative information ontopics of interest. However, it is important to keep in mind that results cannot always begeneralized across the entire population.

Three focus groups were conducted on February 11, 12 and 13, 2011, as part of research onhow people perceive the Palestinian media. The purpose was also to obtain deeper insight onsome of the audience survey findings, such as why people apparently evaluate the Palestinianmedia positively although the majority do not follow these media outlets.

The focus groups were conducted by NEC in Nablus, Ramallah, and in Deir El Balah in theGaza Strip with respectively 12, 13 and 10 participants. In Gaza and Nablus, the groupsconsisted of different age groups, from both sexes and from different educational levels. The

third group in Ramallah consisted of youth participants with ages ranging from 20 to 30 yearsold.

Imad Freij, a media professional and journalist, moderated the Nablus and Ramallah focusgroups while the one in Gaza Strip was conducted by Naema Abu Hmeid, a consultant withwide experience in focus group discussions. Each group lasted approximately ninety minutes.The moderators used a similar manual and questions for comparability purposes.

3 A significant proportion of Palestinians move during the week to other districts, such asRamallah, for employment and they return home during weekends.


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IV. POLITICAL AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT AFFECTING MEDIA

A. Political Environment

Historical Overview

Palestinian broadcasting was not allowed until after the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords of1993, known as the Oslo accords. However, the Palestinian written press has a long and richtradition. Palestine was one of the first Arab countries to publish and distribute newspapers. Bythe beginning of the First World War, the number of newspapers in Palestine reached thirty-six,covering political, literary, comic and other issues4. But most of these newspapers did notcirculate for long periods. One exception is Falastin newspaper5 which published from 1911 upto the creation of Israel in 1948 and the Palestinian Annakba.6

Following Annakba, the Palestinian media in the West Bank came under the control of Jordan,while the Gaza Strip came under Egyptian laws and regulations. Between 1951 and 1967, thePalestinian press continued to develop in the Jordanian-controlled West Bank, despite

censorship that was imposed on the three main newspapers: Al-Quds, Al-Difa, and Al-Jihad. Inthe Gaza Strip, a number of newspapers and magazines were also published, most prominentof which were Gaza Newspaper, Al-Watan Al-Arabi and Al-Tahreer.

1967 Arab-Israeli War

After June 1967 when Israel occupied the remaining parts of historic Palestine, the Israelimilitary occupation clamped down on the Palestinian press, and daily newspapers ceasedpublication. In order to fill the gap, Israel published two newspapers in Arabic immediately afterthe war. The first one, Al-Youm, failed immediately while the other one, Al-Anba, lasted alittle longer. However, it too stopped publishing after a few years due to lack of readershipamong the Palestinians, who saw it as a mouthpiece for the Israeli occupation.

Palestinian newspapers re-emerged from 1968 and especially in the early 1970s, albeit subjectto heavy Israeli restrictions7. Israel granted 22 permits for Palestinian dailies and periodicals inJerusalem. Mahmoud Abu Al-Zuluf, the publisher of Al-Jihad newspaper, which ceasedpublication after the 1967 war, got a permit from Israel to publish it again. He resumedpublishing it in 1968 under the name of Al-Quds . Many other newspapers also followed, suchas Al Shaab, Al Fajr, Al Taleea and Al-Nahar. In the Gaza Strip, the press was limited toonly two magazines, Al Oloum and Al-Usbou Al-Jadeed. The Palestinian media was notlimited to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), but was vibrant in most areas with largePalestinian populations, especially in Lebanon and Syria where the Palestine LiberationOrganization (PLO) operated.

4 Taryan, Majed. 2009. Palestinian Press: Origin and development.www.minfo.ps/arabic/index.php?pagess=main&id=1435

Najjar, Aida. 1905. Palestinian Press and the National Movement 1900-1948, Arab Institute forStudies and Publications: In Arabic. books.google.com/books?isbn=99533676716 The period when Palestinians were expelled from their homes in historic Palestine.7 For the various military orders, restricting media and access to information see Rabah, Jamil &Fairweather, Natasha. "Israeli Military Orders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: 1967-1992".Jerusalem Media & Communication Centre, East Jerusalem, West Bank (1993)


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The political and ideological diversity of Palestinian factions in the years before the Oslo peaceaccords led to the establishment of diverse media organizations, both inside and outsidePalestine. This diversity allowed for political and social debates among all sectors of Palestiniansociety in the OPTs and in the Diaspora. However, there were still two major factors hinderingpress freedom and the quality of information provided to the Palestinian public: the Israelioccupation and the nature of the Palestinian leadership. Israel imposed considerable restrictionson the Palestinian media, and the Palestinian factions also interfered substantively in themedia's work.

Israeli measures ranged from licensing restrictions to censorship of material in the Palestinianprint media. Stories related to resisting the occupation, the harshness of Israeli measures or thepolitical rights of individuals were censored. PLO publications were also banned and peopleattempting to access them penalized. Prior to the 1993 Oslo accords, Palestinians were notpermitted to broadcast in the OPTs. Only Israeli broadcasters were allowed. Israel jammedbroadcasts of the PLO radio in exile, to stop people listening to it in Palestine.

Palestinian factions tended to interfere in the media to serve their own ideological and politicalinterests rather than freedom of expression. Locally published newspapers became highlypoliticized and were rarely platforms for diverse viewpoints. Indeed, it got to a point where allemployees in a newspaper would be members of the party that funded or owned it. Thisenvironment led to a situation where the Palestinian media was internationally ineffective and

locally distrusted.

After Oslo

Audiovisual media in Palestine was formally allowed for the first time under the 1993 Oslopeace accords8 between Israel and the Palestinians. After Oslo, many radio and TV stationswere allowed to operate and have proliferated.9 However, while permits are granted by thePalestinian Authority, the frequencies still belong to Israel. Walid Batrawi of Internews Networkdescribes PA broadcast licences as being rather a kind of no-objection certificate. Israel hasobstructed some local TV and radio stations, saying their frequencies were interfering with thecommunication networks of Israeli settlement and military posts.

With the arrival of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994, many newspapers and magazines ofdiverse political and ideological viewpoints were allowed to operate. The first newspapergranted permission by the Palestinian Authority was Falastin (pro-Hamas), followed by AlHayyat Al-Jadida for Fateh, Al Wattan for Hamas, Al Istiqlal for Islamic Jihad, as well as Al-Ayyam and Al-Quds, which both claim to be independent.

The Fateh-Hamas split of 2007, as well as other political, legal and economic constraints,continue to pose considerable challenges to media in the OPTs, as will be discussed below.

The Current Political Context

The Palestinian media continue to face a number of challenges directly related to the political

situation. These include Israeli occupation, and the bitter internal split between Fateh andHamas in 2007. It remains to be seen how the reconciliation accord signed in May 2011between Fateh and Hamas will be implemented, and how it will affect the media.

8 Nablus TV, headed by Ayman Nimer, was the first TV station to operate prior to Oslo but itsbroadcast was limited.9 See the mapping chapter for a list of audio-visual media organizations that are currently inoperation.


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Attacks on the press unfortunately remain frequent in the Palestinian territories. Following is alist of violations against the media committed by both the Israeli Army and the Palestinian forcesin the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 2010.

Type of Violation Israeli Palestinian TOTALAttacks 89 10 99Detention 19 17 36Arrests 18 14 32Summons for Investigation 3 17 20Raids 0 8 8Prevention of Coverage 3 4 7Travel restrictions/ Deportation 3 3 6Destruction of property 3 0 3Threats 1 2 3Closures/Blockades 0 2 2Equipment confiscation 0 1 1Frequency disruption 0 1 1TOTAL 139 79 218MADA Annual Violations Report: 2010, Madacenter.org

http://www.madacenter.org/madaeng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298:2010-annual-report&catid=69:annual-reports&Itemid=82

Israeli Restrictions

The restrictions stemming from the continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the GazaStrip are undoubtedly less when compared to the period prior to Oslo. Still, Israel continues tohave a significant negative influence nowadays on the Palestinian media environment.

For more than ten years now, Israeli restrictions have prevented Palestinians from moving freelybetween the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Freedom of movement in the West Bank is stillsubject to strict Israeli Army measures which have transformed some areas into isolatedcantons, preventing mobility between them. This has led journalists and media staff to restrict

themselves to their offices and their areas. In addition Palestinians, including journalists andmedia staff, are prevented from entering Jerusalem and Israel, except in rare cases ofconditional permits granted for limited periods.

In addition to restrictions on freedom of movement, there are many examples of measurescarried out by the Israeli army against journalists and media officials in the West Bank and theGaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA),the year 2010 witnessed a marked increase in Israeli violations against public freedoms andagainst Palestinian journalists in the OPTs. According to MADA's 2010 annual report, the Israeliarmy committed 139 violations against Palestinian journalists that year, including 89 attacks, 19detentions, 18 arrests, 3 cases of property destruction and 3 summonses for investigation.

Of the areas most affected by violations against journalists, Hebron had the highest number ofreported incidences with 53, of which 45 were perpetrated by Israeli forces. The high density ofsoldiers in this region - an estimated 2,000 deployed to protect approximately 500 Jewishsettlers - often leads to harsh implementation of Israels unofficial but institutionalized blackoutof media reportage in the region.

Ramallah was the second most affected region with 28 Israeli violations. The highest numberoccurred at the checkpoints of Qalandia and Atara, as well as the surrounding villages of Biliinand Nilin which hosts weekly demonstrations against the Wall. In Jerusalem, there were over


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30 violations, the majority of which occurred whilst journalists were covering clashes sparked byPalestinian house demolitions and evictions10.

Continued Israeli ownership of broadcasting frequencies and airwaves constitute anotherproblem. Due to the ownership of frequencies by Israel, any station is vulnerable to closure bythe Israeli authorities under the pretext of interfering with Israeli communication, says WalidBatrawi of Internews in Palestine. This has indeed occurred at various times. For example,Israeli authorities closed Tarik Al-Mahabba and Minbar Al-Hurriya radio stations during thesecond Intifada on allegations that they were interfering with the communication network of Ben

Gurion airport. These stations were allowed to resume broadcasting after they installed newequipment and filters.

Internal Palestinian Dispute

In addition to the above challenges, Palestinian media professionals have been widely affectedby the political division that took place when the Islamic movement of Hamas took control of theGaza Strip in the summer of 2007. No doubt that the internal Palestinian division negativelyimpacted Palestinian media, says Adel Zanoun, a reporter with Agence France-Presse inGaza. The most important impact was the gradual retreat among journalists from ethical,professional and objective values and standards to political agendas, and the consequent

exploitation of the news outlets in the respective areas. As such, many of the news outletscontributed, by agreeing to be a tool of the division, in strengthening the division itself 11.

Walid Batrawi agrees. The attention of the media is concentrated on the split between the WestBank and the Gaza Strip, he says. This attention led to the strengthening of partisan media.Journalists became more ideological and less objective as a consequence of this polarization.

Rarely, for example, do media organizations close to Fateh or Hamas cover each others newsobjectively. Al Ayyam is biased against Hamas and it covers Hamas mainly from a negativeperspective unlike the way it covers Fateh related news, says Naela Khalil, who works forBirzeit University media centre and also as a correspondent for the Al Ayyam newspaper. Atthe same time, Hamas media outlets such as Al-Aqsa TV and Filasteen newspaper neglect to

cover stories such as the arrest of Fateh members in Gaza by Hamas.

The increased partisanship of journalists in the aftermath of the split has gone hand in hand withmany attacks on the press, ranging from detention of journalists to banning newspapers andmagazines and harassing bloggers. In 2010, there were 79 violations by Palestinian securityforces on journalists, including 10 attacks, 17 detentions, 14 arrests, 8 raids, and 17summonses for investigation12.

For example, Asma Al-Ghoul, a journalist in the Gaza Strip, says she is constantly harassed byHamas for her sympathy with Fateh. As for Fateh violations, inFebruary 2010, a Palestiniancourt sentenced journalist Tareq Abu Zeid from the city of Jenin to imprisonment and a fine aftercharging him with working as a reporter for Al-Aqsa satellite television channel13. Similarly, last

July the reporter Amer Abu Arafeh from the city of Hebron was sentenced to three months'imprisonment for reporting deemed critical of the Ramallah government.

10 MADA annual report 201011 Interview by phone, January 2011.12 MADA annual report 2010.13

The official TV satellite channel of Hamas.


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In the wake of the 2007 split, Fateh and Hamas both banned newspapers that they see as closeto the other side. Newspapers published in the West Bank (Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam, and Al-Hayyat)are not available in the Gaza Strip, while the Al-Risala and Filasteen newspapers, published inGaza, are not available in the West Bank. In addition to restrictions against the print and audio-visual media, bloggers have also been harassed, especially in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian media coverage since the internal split has also been characterized by increasedtimidity and self-censorship. According to Walid Batrawi, after the split in June 2007 betweenthe West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the media in general turned to report issues that are unlikely

to be criticized or opposed by their government or public. Reporting on the division between theWest Bank and the Gaza Strip and about the Israeli occupation characterized the Palestinianmedia in the past two years. Social and other issues were rarely covered.

Another big problem, is that the internal split has paralyzed the Palestinian legislature and thusblocked attempts to develop new legislation that could improve the regulatory framework formedia (see below for more detail).


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writing anything that may threaten state security or disturb relations with other countries, asstated in Article 118. Articles 121, 130, 131, and 150 also penalize anyone who publishes ordistributes material that may contribute to weakening the reputation of the state.

The Palestinian Basic Law

The Basic Law, was first signed by Yasser Arafat in 2002, with amendments in 2003 and 2005.It guarantees freedom of the press within the confines of the law. According to its Article 19,Every person shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and expression, and shall

have the right to publish his opinion orally, in writing, or in any form of art, or through any other form of expression, provided that it does not contradict with the provisions of law.

Article 27 of the Basic Law also states that:

1. [e]stablishment of newspapers and all media means is a right for all, guaranteed by thisBasic Law. Their financing resources shall be subject to the scrutiny of the law.

2. Freedom of audiovisual, and written media, as well as freedom to print, publish,distribute and transmit, together with the freedom of individuals working in this field, shallbe guaranteed by this Basic Law and other related laws.

3. Censorship of the media shall be prohibited. No warning, suspension, confiscation,cancellation or restriction shall be imposed upon the media except by law, and pursuant

to a judicial ruling.

The Press Law of 1995

The Press Law of 1995 was enacted by the late President Yasser Arafat and was never revisedby the Palestinian Legislative Council. Despite some interpretations that the Press Law imposesrestrictions on the print media, such as the stipulations in Article 7a18 and article 3719, the lawprovides the media with a number of advantages. These include the acknowledgment of thefreedom of the press, the media, and journalism. Moreover, it stipulates that the executiveauthority shall not take any action against the press and journalists except in accordance with a

judicial ruling.

Articles 2 and 3 of the Press Law guarantee freedom of opinion and expression for eachPalestinian, the freedom to access, publish, circulate and comment on information. Moreover,Article 4 provides that the task of the press is to inform citizens of facts, ideas, trends andinformation on the local level, as well as on the Arab, Islamic and international levels. It alsoensures the right of journalists to search for information, news and statistics that are of interestto the public, and to analyze, publish and comment on them in accordance with the law. Article5 also grants individuals, groups, and political parties the right to have their own newspapersand publications.

18 Article 7a states that all printed material shall refrain from publishing material that is in

contravention with the principles of liberty, national responsibility, and human rights.and shall regardfreedom of expression, opinion, access to information as a right for the citizens as it is for newspapersand magazines.19 Prohibition on publishing material that is against the truth and contempt of religions, threateningnational unity, incitement to commit a crime, planting the seeds of hatred, rancor, discord and disharmonyand stirring sectarian strife, disclosing classified information about the police and public security, thesecret proceedings of the National Council and the Council of Ministers and information intended tocreate distrust of the national currency, personal information, news, reports, letters, articles and photosthat are contrary to ethics and morals are prohibited.


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Article 6 also provides for freedom of information. It stipulates that official departments shallwork to facilitate the task of journalists and researchers, and provides for the right of journaliststo protect confidential sources.

Challenges

Although Article 4 of the Palestinian Press Law provides for freedom of the press, Article 7stipulates that it is illegal to publish anything that goes against the general system, withoutdefining what this means. Indeed, the Law institutes a number of sweeping restrictions on the

content of what may be published, many of which are unacceptably broad and/or vague20.

Media experts also say that despite the existence of laws enshrining freedom of the press andof expression, these laws all too frequently have not been adhered to21. A case in point was thearrest of George Qanawati from the Bethlehem radio station who was detained by Palestiniansecurity forces in November 2010 on the pretext that he had quoted sources that gaveinaccurate information. Over the years, many such incidents have occurred in both the WestBank and in the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, for example, Imad Titi, the correspondent of Al-Quds Satellite Channel22, was reprimanded by the PAs security forces on several occasionsand his material was confiscated in accordance with the Penal Law. In the Gaza Strip, the editorin Chief of Al-Ayyam newspaper Akram Hanieh and Baha Bukhari, a cartoonist at thenewspaper, were sentenced in absentia by the Hamas Government.

According to the veteran journalist Nabhan Khreishah, the 1995 Press Law is the main lawaffecting media in the OPTs, and this law is inadequate since it did not take into considerationthe development of the media and the Big Bang in informatics.

The lack of reference to audiovisual media in the Press Law of 1995 is also a problemespecially with regard to licensing and jurisdiction. While, for example, the long-lasting disputebetween the owners of TV and radio stations and the PA government centered mainly on theamount of fees that the government gets, the actual main problem is related to the confused

jurisdiction of different PA security departments in granting permits to these stations.

According to the head of the Journalists Syndicate, Abd An-Nasser Al-Najjar to a certain

extent, the problem of the fees constituted an obstacle. However, the main dilemma is in thecontradiction created by one security department that grants the approval and the opposition ofanother department on grounds that has nothing to do with the law. It is the nature of theprevailing laws that leads to these contradictions23.

The lack of specific laws and regulations covering the audiovisual sector have led to graveproblems as in 2010 when a number of radio and TV stations were prohibited from broadcastingdue to lack of permits24.

The prevailing confusion prompted media professionals and other parties to work on a draftAudiovisual Law. This draft has been presented to President Abbas for his approval and could,once passed, help clarify many of the issues that have impeded the work of Palestinian

organizations working in the audiovisual field.

20 Toby Mendel and Dr. Ali Khashan, The Legal Framework for Media in Palestine and underInternational Law, http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/palestine-media-framework.pdf21 Muhammad Abu Arqoub, interview April 2011.22 Close to Hamas23 Interview with Abd-Anasser Al-Najjar, January 2011.24

Most were allowed later to broadcast after rectifying their permit conditions.


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V. MEDIA MAPPING

This chapter is based mainly on information provided by media organizations themselves inresponse to a questionnaire (see Methodology for more detail). This should be borne in mindwhen reading the results. Nevertheless, the mapping exercise provides a comprehensiveoverview of the media sector in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, including informationabout the main activities, location, reach and resources of the media organizations involved.

A. Number of Organizations According to activity

There are a total of 192 media organizations currently functioning in the OPTs, of which 184responded to this survey. Survey results are based on those that responded.

Out of the 184 media organizations that responded, 145 are based in the West Bank and 39 inthe Gaza Strip. The majority are broadcasters, with 66 Palestine-based radio stations and 27 TVstations. Of the rest, roughly half are involved in the written press (including Internet-based) andin production, while half say they offer media services such as research and training.

Figure 2 below shows the breakdown of main activities as given by the organizations.

Figure 2: Type of work

27

66

16

6

1611

20

7

18

8

18 15

TVstation

Radiostation

News

paper

Perio

dicals

Media

research

Mediatra

ining

News

agency

Media

services

Audio-visualproductio

n

internet

based

media

Pressstrin

gers

Othe

rs

B. Year of Establishment

Radio and television stations have mushroomed since 1993, when the Oslo peace accordsmade Palestinian broadcasting possible for the first time. Prior to that, there were no radio andTV stations other than the Israeli ones. There were, however, a number of newspapersincluding Al Quds, Al-Shaab, and Al-Fajr. Only the Al-Quds daily, first published in Jerusalem in1951, still survives to this day.


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Figure 3: Year of establishment

1 1 1 1 18

53

45

70

1951

-195

6

1957

-196

2

1963-1968

1969-197

4

1975

-198

0

1987

-199

2

1993

-1998

1999

-2004

2005-2010

93% of media organziations in

Palestine were established after

the signing of the Oslo

Agreement

Al-Quds

newspaperMainly media offices

A list of the main organizations currently operating, grouped by category, can be found on p. 28While the number of media organizations surged in the five years following Oslo and continuedto grow, Figure 2 (above) also shows another surge from 2005.

C. Affiliation

For the most part, media organizations in Palestine declare their affiliation as private, althoughsome of these are known to have political affiliations. For, example, those that declaredthemselves to be private include Al Aqsa TV and radio which are affiliated to the Hamasgovernment in Gaza, and Sout Al Quds radio station which is affiliated to Islamic Jihad. Thosethat say they are governmental are Al Quraan Al Kareem radio station, Maseerat Al Tarbyanewspaper, Palestinian Media Center (PMC) and the PA affiliated Palestine TV and SoutFalastin.

As portrayed in Figure 4, 84% of media organizations say they are private, 3% governmental,and 12% NGOs. Radio and TV stations mostly say they are private.

Figure 4: Declared affiliation of media organizations

Private

84% Governmental

3%

NGOs

12%

Other

2%

1625

24

3


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While 95% of the media organizations in the Gaza Strip say they are private, the percentage inthe West Bank is 79%.

The West Bank has a higher proportion of NGO media organizations than the Gaza Strip: 16%of media organizations in the West Bank say they are NGOs, whereas the percentage in theGaza Strip is only 3%.

Table 2: Declared affiliation of media organizations according to region of residence

Private Government NGO Other

Region West Bank 79% 3% 16% 2%Gaza Strip 95% 3% 3%

Total 83% 3% 13% 2%

D. Funding

The majority of organizations refused to specify their annual budget. Only 35 of them providedthis information. Based on the information given by the 35, the average annual budget forprivate organizations is about US$ 124,000, and for the NGOs US$ 300,000.

The majority of the interviewed organizations said that most of their funding comes from privatesources such as advertising. As illustrated below, 65% said that they rely extensively onadvertising.

Only 4% said their main source of funding is government, while 16% said their funding is mainlyfrom local NGOs and international support.

Figure 5: The media organizations reliance on ads for their operations

To a large extent

65%

To some extent17%

Not a lot

5%

Not at all

12%

E. Objectives of the Media Organizations

Despite the fact that the majority of organizations are private, only four stated that their mainobjective is profit making. The rest mentioned goals and objectives related to enhancing publicparticipation or reflecting Palestinian needs and aspirations.


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Figure 6: The main stated objective of the media organizations

4

17

24

7

33

6

4

183

18

12

4

5

7

19

Strengthen religion

Support the educational system

Improve the media environment

Activate the role of youth in society

Reflect the Palestinian life and reality

Improve the organization's work

Easing the life on people

Spread consciousnessAchieve unity and develop education

Serve the community

Reflect objective opinions

Profit making

Provide information and media services

Support marginilized groups

Other missions

F. Location of Media Organizations

There are 145 media organizations in the West Bank and 39 in the Gaza Strip. Although theGaza Strip represents over 35% of the overall population of the OPTs, its share of mediaorganizations is only 21%.

In the West Bank, media organizations are concentrated mainly in four areas: Ramallah,Nablus, Hebron and Bethlehem. As can be seen in Figure 7 below, 34% of all mediaorganizations are located in the Ramallah governorate.

Figure 7: Location of the functioning media organizations

Nablus (n=24) 13%Ramallah (n=62) 34%

Hebron (n=16) 9%

Gaza Strip (n=39) 21% Qalqilia (n=3) 2%

Salfeet (n=1) 1%

Tulkarem (n=7) 4%

Jenin (n=9) 5%

Tubas (n=1) 1%

Jericho (n=2) 1%

Bethlehem (n=15) 8%

Jerusalem (n=5) 3%

Only21% are

located in the

Gaza Strip

Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority, not only has a concentration of mediaorganizations but also is home to a wide range of them. As can be seen in Table 3 (below),media training, research, and production outlets are primarily located in the Ramallah district.Very few are present in the Gaza Strip. Despite its 1.5 million people, there are only two mediatraining organizations in the Gaza Strip. This may well reflect perceived and real difficulties ofNGOs to work in the Hamas-controlled territory, which is also subject to a strict Israeli blockade.


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In Jerusalem, traditional home to Palestinian media, only seven media organizations remain inoperation. This too is likely linked at least in part to tight Israeli restrictions on Palestinian accessto the city.

Table 3: The Media organizations in each governorate

Audi-visual

pro

duction

Ele

ctronic

basedmedia

Magazines

Mediaresearch

Mediaservices

Medi

atraining

News

agencies

New

spapers

Radiostations

TVstations

o

thers

Fun

ctioning

institutions

Gov

ernorate

3202013466124Nablus83385657115862Ramallah20010011121216Hebron000000003103Qalqilia000000001001Salfit000100004407Tulkarem000001205209Jenin001000000001Tubas000000002002Jericho

0001012095215Bethlehem 11220100250015Jerusalem42012174133239Gaza Strip

1886167112016662716184Total

G. Source of Permit

The results of the media mapping show that the majority of media outlets work mainly from onelocation or office, and do not have any branches. More than 70% of media organizations do nothave any branches. Very few have more than one branch. The directors of the private mediaorganizations in particular stated that they do not have the ability to open other branches

because of financial constraints. In addition, the split between the West Bank and the GazaStrip has made it more difficult to open branches in both places. Some even closed branchesbecause of the internal infighting between Fateh and Hamas.

Nearly all (96%) of the media organizations in Palestine say they have a permit. As shown in theFigure below, 86% of these organizations say they received their permits from the PalestinianAuthority, 7% from the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and 4% from the Israeligovernment (organizations based in East Jerusalem). Only 4% do not have a permit, eitherbecause they are part of a larger institution like Birzeit University, or because they are electronicbased media organizations that do not need to apply for a licence.

25 Al-Quds newspaper, the most prominent Palestinian daily, is published in Jerusalem. It is not included here

because we were unable to reach any of its officials. Survey results include only the 184 media organizations

interviewed.


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Figure 8: Source of permit

Ramallah govt.

86%

Gaza govt.

7%

Israel

4%Don't have a permit

4%

H. Geographical Reach

Not all of the Palestinian media organizations are capable of reaching audiences across theOPTs. Due to political or technical reasons, many media outlets are restricted in their coverageto the area where they operate.

In the print media sector, distribution of some newspapers is restricted because of censorship.Following the bitter 2007 split between Fateh and Hamas, both sides have banned the other'snewspapers in the areas they control. For example, newspapers published in the West Bank(Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam, and Al-Hayyat26) are not available in the Gaza Strip, while the Al-Risalaand Filasteen newspapers, published in Gaza, are not available in the West Bank.

For TV and radio stations, the limitations are of a different nature. Their ability to reach a wideaudience is largely dependent on their means of transmission and hence on financial resources.The majority of Palestinian TV and radio stations broadcast mainly to their respectivegovernorate or district.

Only 19% of TV stations say they broadcast all over the OPTs. These include the PA stationPalestine TV and Wattan TV.

There are more local radio than TV stations that cover more than one governorate (see Fig. 9below) but still only 19% of radio stations (same percentage as for TV) claim to reach all overthe OPTs. These include Ajyal which has 8 transmitters, Raya FM which has 6, and the the PAstation Sout Falastin which has 5.

26 Al Quds, Al Ayyam and Hayyat Al Jadeeda newspapers are independent daily but they areclose to Fateh.


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Figure 9: Broadcast reach of Palestinian radio and TV stations

8%

31%

31%

4%

8%

19%

5%

9%

44%

5%

19%

19%

Part of the governorate

All over the governorate

For more than one governorate

All over the West Bank

All over Gaza Strip

All over the oPt

TV stations

Radio stations

I. Staffing

The increase in the number of media organizations in the past few years has beenaccompanied by an increase in the number of personnel. About 50% of media organizationssay they have increased their staff in the last three years, compared with 17% that said that thenumber of their staff declined.

Figure 10: The size of the staff at the organization in comparison with the three years ago

Increased

50%

Decreased

17%

Remained the same

34%

A total of about 3,800 people are employed in the media organizations currently functioning in

the OPTs. As indicated in Figure 11 below, 47% are full time media personnel, 33% are inadministration, and 20% are part-time staff.

Figure 11: Personnel in the media organizations according to region

Full time media personnel

47%

Administration33%

Part time

20%

1812

1263 746

12431074

624566

188 122

Full time media

personnelAdministration Part time

West Bank

Gaza strip

Staff in the functioning media organizations


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The average number of people employed by media organizations in the Gaza Strip (22.46) isslightly higher than in the West Bank (20.31). Media organizations in the West Bank employ onaverage a higher proportion of administrative staff to editorial staff (Table 4).

Table 4: Average and median number of staff members according to region

full time mediapersonnel

administrativestaff

part-time staff Total staff

Mean 9.85 6.90 4.08 20.77Total(n=184) Median 5.00 3.00 1.00 12.00

Mean 8.59 7.47 4.33 20.31West Bank(n=145) Median 4.00 3.00 1.00 12.00

Mean 14.51 4.82 3.13 22.46Gaza Strip(n=39) Median 10.00 4.00 2.00 17.00

The average number of staff employed in TV stations in the West Bank and Gaza is 31.56,while for radio stations it is 18.71 and for print media 35.55. On average, the proportion ofadministrative staff to editorial staff is lower in radio than in TV and print (Table 5).

Table 5: Average and median number of staff members according to type of work

full time media

personnel

administrative

staff

part-time staff Total staff

Mean 15.26 14.11 2.19 31.56TV(n=27) Median 8.00 3.00 .00 14.00

Mean 10.26 5.08 3.38 18.71Radio(n=66) Median 6.00 4.00 3.00 15.50

Mean 14.77 15.09 5.68 35.55Print(n=22) Median 7.50 6.00 2.00 16.00

Mean 8.39 6.15 4.37 18.79Others(n=90) Median 4.00 3.00 .00 9.50

J. The Main Focus of Media Organizations

The majority of media outlets said their main focus is news in general and local news inparticular, followed by social issues. This is perhaps not surprising given the Palestinian context.For NGOs working in media, social issues are the top priority.

Figure 12: The main issue of media organizations

78

38

20

28

49

29

30

26

29

52

Local news

Local and international news

Entertainment

Economic issues

Social issuesGender

Youth

Governance

Peace

Others

Mainly for NGOs

Including thePalestinian-Israeliconflict


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K. Sources of Information

Approximately 60% of the functioning media organizations say they rely on multiple sources,both local and international for their information (56% in the West Bank and 38% in the GazaStrip). However, only 26% said that they rely mainly on local correspondents for theirinformation.

Figure 13: Sources of information

26%

8%

2%

4%

50%

8%

2%

Primarily from correspondents

Primarily from local press organizations

Primarily from int'l press organizations

Primarily from stringers

Rely on different sources

All of the above

Others

Multiplesources

L. Obstacles and Restrictions Confronting Media Organizations in Palestine

More than half of the media organizations said they had faced obstacles or restrictions at sometime in the past. Some were confronted with one, others with more than one.

Figure 14: Nature of the obstacle or restriction

Nature of the obstacle or restriction

42

39

36

40

36

27

33

29

Closure

Arrest of a staff member

Expropriation of property

Damaging of property

Assault

Preventing publication

Threat

Other

Yes

53%

No47%

9786

Has the organizationfaced restrictions?

Asked about the main restriction or obstacle that media organizations currently face, the Israelioccupation was mentioned more than any other restriction. Still, a significant number pointedalso to the governments in Ramallah and Gaza as well as to traditions as obstacles to theirwork.


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It is interesting to note that these ratings are lower than those given by the general public in ouraudience survey (see section VI. G. 2). For example, whereas the public gave journalists 6.58out of ten for professionalism, media organizations themselves gave only 5.57. The same trendis seen for objectivity, with the public giving journalists a score of 6.25 out of ten and the mediaorganizations giving only 5.3.

N. List of Main Media Organizations

This section provides an overview of the most important organizations working in the media,according to their main activities. For TV and radio stations and newspapers, the organizationshave been selected according to their ratings in the NEC audience survey. For the otherorganizations, NEC based its selection on the most well-known organizations.

TV Stations

Table 6: The main Palestinian TV stations

Name of organization Governorate The directorYear of

establishmentPalestine TV Ramallah Ahmed Hazouri 1994Al Quds educational TV Ramallah Haroun Abu Arrah 1997Wattan TV Ramallah Muamar Orabi 1996

Nablus TV Nablus Mahmoud Barham 1996Asia TV Nablus Ayman Kaderi 1996Gama TV Nablus Abeer El Keelany 1994Al Salam TV Tulkarem Sarya Al Ashqar 1993Al Fajer Al Jadeed TV Tulkarem Sameer Al Sargaly 1996Jenin Al Markezy TV Jenin Sameer Abu El Rub 1997Al Majd TV Hebron Tariq Al Kayyal 2000

Al Roua'a TV Bethlehem Hamdy Farrag 1994Bethlehem TV Bethlehem Sameer Esbeih 1997Al Aqsa TV Gaza Saed Radwan 2005

Radio Stations

Table 7: The main Palestinian Radio stations


establishmentVoice of Palestine (Sout Falastin) Ramallah Khaled Siam 1994Raya FM Ramallah Basam Al Walweel 2007Ajyal Radio station Ramallah Waleed Nassar 2007Al Quraan Al Karim Radio Nablus Reda Milhes 1993Tariq Al Mahabeh Radio Nablus Khawla Abed Al Hadi 1994

Al Haya Radio station Nablus Hind Sa'd 1994Radio Al Najah Nablus Ayman Al Nimer 2003Radio Alam - Hebron Univ. Hebron Tala E Jaabary 1997Radio Al Khalil Hebron Amjad Shawar 1997Marah Radio station Hebron Fawzi Dan'a 1997Al Shamal Radio station Salfeet Tariq Jebara 2004Qalqilia TV and Radio Qalqilia Tariq Jebara 2005Radio Nagham Qalqilia Tariq Jebara 2005Sout El Ghad Qalqilia Majdy Taha 2005Radio Jafra Tulkarem Hussam Baleedy 2005Kol El Nas Radio Tulkarem Adnan Baleedy 2006


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Radio Zein Jenin Imad Shawahna 2006Radio Al Ahlam Jenin Tariq Esweetat 2006Radio Farah and TV net Jenin Fathi Sayed El Natoor 2006Sout Al Mada Radio Jericho Anees Al Khalidy 2008Radio Al Qamar Jericho Ihab Barahna 2008Bethlehem 2000 Radio Bethlehem George Kanawaty 2008Radio Cool Bethlehem Dany Kameesa 2008Radio Mawwal Bethlehem Dany Kameesa 2009Gaza FM Gaza Hussam El Rayes 2003Al Manar Radio Gaza Talal Abu Rahmeh 2003Sout Al Aqsa Gaza Ibrahim Daher 2004

Newspapers

Table 8: The main Palestinian Newspapers


establishmentAl Quds Newspaper Jerusalem Ziad Abu Zuluf 1951Al Ayyam Ramallah Akram Hanieh 1995Al Hayat Newspaper Ramallah Hafez Al Barghouti 1995Al Sanabel magazine Ramallah Fares Abdullah 2003Little Hands Ramallah Abd Al Razeq Farrag 2003

Maseerat Al Tarbya Newspaper Ramallah Abed Al Hakeem Abu Jamoos 1997Al Hal Newspaper Ramallah Nebal Thawabteh 2005The Youth Times Ramallah Hilmy Abu Atwan 1998Amjad Magazine Ramallah Ghassan Mohammad 2004Al safeer Al Iqtesady Ramallah Talaat Alawy 2007Environment and Developmentprospects

Ramallah Sami Khader 2003

Al Hadath Newspaper Nablus Majed Abu Arab 1994Al Rowwad (Zawaya) Nablus Raed Shamoot 2001Israel-Palestine Journal Jerusalem Zyad Abu Zayyad 1993Al Resaleh Newspaper Gaza Wessam Afefah 1996Al Isteqlal Newspaper Gaza Khaled Sadeq 1995Al Watan newspaper Gaza Fathi Tabeel 2003Palestine newspaper (Falastinnewspaper)

Gaza Khader Al Jamaly 2007

News Agencies

Table 9: The main news agencies


establishmentAssociated press Ramallah Haitham Hamad 1960

Wafa News Agency Ramallah Ryad El Hassan 1972Maan News Agency Bethlehem Raed Othman 2005Palestine press News Agency Ramallah Waseem Ghareeb 2004Reuters News Agency Ramallah Crispian Balmer 1851PNN Bethlehem Fadi Abu Saada 2002

Sama News Agency Gaza Adnan Abu Hasna 2005Shehab News Agency Gaza Remah Mubarak 2007Quds Net news agency Gaza Haitham Awwad 2006

Electronic Media

Table 10: The main electronic media organizations


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establishmentRam-Palestine Media Net Ramallah Fareed Majaj 2005Elamona Ramallah Basem Al Romy 2008Media Net Ramallah Benaz Batrawy 2004Al Wasat Today Ramallah Jamil Hamed 2010Watan News Agency Ramallah Muamar Orabi 2009Ikhbaryat Media Network Nablus Romal Shahroor 2002Donia Al Watan Gaza Abedallah Issa 2003Palestine Information

Network

Gaza Nedal Issa 1997

Organizations Working in Media Research and Training

Table 11: The main organizations working in media research and training


establishment

Institute of Modern Media (Al QudsUniversity)

Ramallah Lusi Nusseibeh 1996

The Palestinian Center for MediaResearch-Badael

Ramallah Hani Al Masri 2005

Palestinian Media Center (PMC) Ramallah Haidar Awadallah 2001Media Development Center (MDC)-Birzeituniversity

Ramallah Nebal Thawabteh 1996

The Palestinian center for developmentand media freedom-MADA

Ramallah Mousa Al Reemawy 2006

Wide Media Ramallah Mamoun Matar 2005Sharek Youth Forum Ramallah Bader Zamareh 2002Pen media Ramallah Laila Othman 2008Live Media Ramallah Mohammad Jaradat 2005Pal Media Ramallah Samer Al Kawny 2004Jerusalem Media and CommunicationCenter (JMCC)

Ramallah Manal Ward 1988

AMIN Network-Internews Ramallah Khaled Abu Aker 1996The Media Center ( Al Najah University) Nablus Ayman Al Nimer 2003PYALARA Ramallah Hania Bitar 1999

Bethlehem Media Center Bethlehem Ghassan Olayan 2002Al Hayat Media Center Tulkarem Morad Yaseen 1995Mayadeen Media Group Gaza Marwan Al Ghoul 1995The media center for the holy lands(Maalam)

Gaza Isam Abu Khalil 2000

Al Hurria center for media Gaza Ahmed Hammad 2003

Audio Visual Production

Table 12: The main audiovisual production organizations

Nameof

organization

Governorate

Thedirector

Yearof

establishment

Super Vision production Ramallah Waleed Sababa 2007Clackate for media and communication Ramallah Omar Nazzal 2002Al Majd production company Ramallah Buthaina Al Khoury 2000Sama production- Multi Media Ramallah zahran Gaghab 2003


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VI. AUDIENCE SURVEY: RATINGS AND PERCEPTIONS

This chapter will present the results of a comprehensive public opinion survey on media inPalestine. The survey aimed not only to obtain a picture of the publics behaviour in terms ofusage and reliance on media, but also to gauge how the public views the media in terms ofperformance and trust.

The survey covered both the more traditional types of media such as newspapers, radio, andtelevision, and so-called new media such as the Internet, social networks, and SMS newsservices.

By way of background, it is useful to point out that satellite TV is widely available and used byhouseholds throughout the OPTs, including the Gaza Strip. Whereas there is a wide choice ofArab and international channels, only a few Palestinian TV stations are available on satellite.These few include Palestine TV, which is the station of the Ramallah-based PalestinianAuthority (PA) and Al Aqsa TV, the station of the Hamas authorities in Gaza.

Both the PA and Hamas also have their own radio stations, respectively Voice of Palestine(Sout Falastin) and Sout Al Aqsa. According to information given by the stations to this survey,Sout Falastin has 5 transmitters in the OPTs while Sout Al Aqsa has only 2.

Otherwise, the TV and radio sectors are largely dominated by private enterprises, whoseaffiliation and funding is not always transparent. Their geographical reach depends largely ontheir political and financial ability to obtain broadcasting capacity.

A. Importance of News

Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey shows that Palestinians are hungry for news. Thirty-sixpercent say they always follow the news, 57% say they sometimes do, while only 6% say theynever follow the news.

Figure 18: Frequency of following the news

Always (n=983)

36%

Sometimes (n=1540)

57%

Never (n=175)

6%

Patterns of following the news differ considerably between the younger and older generations,between men and women, and between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

People in the 18 to 24 age group are least likely to always follow the news (26%), whilePalestinians over 55 are the most likely to do so (46%). Nearly twice as many men (47%) as


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women (26%) say they always follow the news. Although with less pronounced differences, ahigher proportion of Gazans (41%) than Westbankers (34%) always follow the news.

Table 14: Frequency of following the news according to age, gender, and region of residence.

Age of respondent Gender Region ofresidence

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 >=55 Male FemaleWestBank

GazaStrip

Always 26% 36% 42% 42% 46% 47% 26% 34% 41%Sometimes 65% 57% 54% 54% 51% 48% 67% 59% 54%Never 9% 8% 5% 4% 3% 5% 8% 7% 5%

B. Most Important Source of Information

Asked about their most important source of information, 42% of Palestinians said it isinternational satellite TV, followed by 24% for local (i.e. Palestinian) TV, and 20% for theInternet. Eight percent said local radio is their most important source of information, while 3%said newspapers.

Figure 19: Most important source of information

Local radio (n=211)

8%

Local TV (n=652)

24%

Inter'l satellite (n=1123)

42%

Newspapers (n=77)

3%

Internet (n=543)

20%

SMS messages (n=8)

0%

Facebook/Twitter/etc (n=4)

0%

Friends and relatives (n=41)2%

Rel./pol. figures (n=7)

0%Blogs (n=2)

0%Other (n=30)

1%

Once again, there are clear differences according to age. The younger generation is less likelyto consider radio or TV as their most important source of information. Instead, the Internet is

much more important as a primary source. For example, one-third (33%) of 18-24 year olds sayInternet is their most important source of information. This percentage drops with age, falling toonly 5% for those aged 55 and over.

It is worth noting that women in the OPTs are slightly more likely than males to consider localradio and TV as their most important source of information. The opposite is true of newspapersand the Internet, which are more popular with men than women.


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Most participants in a Gaza focus groupconducted by NEC said they do not readnewspapers because they do not haveaccess to them. Some said they resort tothe Internet to read them. Still, many arenot accustomed to reading newspapers.

Table 15: Most important source of information according to age and gender

Age of respondent Gender

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

>=55

Male

Female

Local radio 6% 8% 7% 10% 9% 6% 9%Local TV 20% 24% 25% 28% 28% 23% 26%International TV (satellite) 36% 39% 44% 50% 49% 41% 42%Newspapers 2% 3% 3% 2% 4% 4% 2%Internet 33% 24% 16% 7% 5% 23% 17%SMS messages 1% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Friends and relatives 2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2%Religious and political personalities 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Blogs 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Other 0% 1% 2% 1% 3% 1% 1%

The importance attached to certain sources of information also varies according to area ofresidence and, to some extent, economic status.

A higher proportion of residents in the Gaza Strip(32%) than in the West Bank (19%) refer to localTV as their most important source of information.This percentage is highest in the southern GazaStrip (38%). On the other hand, a markedly higherpercentage of Westbankers (49%) than Gazans(30%) say international satellite TV is their most important source of information. Thispercentage is highest in the northern West Bank (52%).

With regard to the written press, a higher proportion of Palestinians in the West Bank (4%) thanin the Gaza Strip (1%) say newspapers are their most important source of information 28.But,perhaps in compensation for less choice of sources, residents anywhere in the Gaza Strip

(25%) rely more on the Internet as their most important source of information than their WestBank counterparts (17%).

Table 16: Most important source of information according to region and area of residence, and povertylevel.

Region ofresidence

Area of residence Poverty

WestBank

GazaStrip

City

Village

Refugee

camp

Belowthe

poverty

line

Abovethe

poverty

line

Local radio 8% 8% 8% 7% 8% 10% 6%

Local TV 19% 32% 26% 21% 25% 27% 22%International TV (satellite) 49% 30% 38% 49% 40% 40% 44%Newspapers 4% 1% 3% 2% 1% 1% 4%Internet 17% 25% 21% 17% 22% 18% 21%SMS messages 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Friends and relatives 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 1%Religious/political personalities 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

28West Bank newspapers are not available in Gaza and vise versa.


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We do not follow local radio or TV because

their programs are repetitive with many ads in

between.

(Aya and Marah, young female participants in

Nablus focus group)

Blogs 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Other 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

Table 17: Most important source of information according to sub-region.

Sub-regionNorth WB Middle WB South WB North GZ South GZ

Local radio 7% 8% 8% 8% 9%Local TV 20% 14% 23% 27% 38%International TV (satellite) 52% 49% 45% 34% 25%

Newspapers 3% 6% 3% 1% 1%Internet 15% 19% 18% 26% 24%SMS messages 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Friends and relatives 2% 1% 1% 1% 1%Religious and political personalities 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Blogs 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Other 1% 2% 0% 1% 1%

C. Most Trusted Source of Information

Overall, the sources of information viewed

as most important are also the mosttrusted, but percentage ratings are notnecessarily the same. For example,whereas 42% consider internationalsatellite TV to be their most importantsource of information, only 34% say theyactually trust the information from these satellite broadcasts most. Conversely, whereas only24% of the respondents state that Palestinian TV is their most important source of information,39% say it is their most trusted source of information.

Figure 20: Most trusted source of information.

Local radio (n=159)

6%

Local TV (n=867)

32%Int'l satellite (n=920)

34%

Newspapers (n=74)3%

Internet (n=433)

16%

SMS messages (n=2)

0%Facebook/Twitter/etc (n=2)

0%

Friends and relatives (n=39)

1%

Rel./pol. figures (n=2)0%

blogs (n=2)

0%

Other (n=119)4%None (n=63)

2%

Trust in international TV channels does not differ significantly according to gender or even age.It is nevertheless highest in the West Bank, and especially in the northern West Bank.


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Trust in Palestinian TV is highest among the older generation, in the Gaza Strip (especiallysouthern Gaza) and among those with an average monthly household income that is below thepoverty line.

As for the Internet, trust in it as a source of information is highest among the young, men, thosewith a living standard above the poverty line, in cities, and in the Gaza Strip, especially thenorthern part of the Strip.

Table 18: Most trusted source of information: according to age and gender.Age of respondent Gender

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

>=55

Male

Female

Local radio 6% 4% 6% 8% 7% 5% 7%Local TV 27% 30% 36% 37% 39% 32% 33%International TV (satellite) 31% 35% 33% 37% 38% 34% 34%Newspapers 3% 3% 4% 1% 2% 3% 3%Internet 26% 19% 12% 7% 5% 18% 14%SMS messages 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Friends and relatives 1% 1% 2% 1% 0% 1% 2%

Religious and political personalities 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Blogs 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Other 3% 4% 5% 6% 6% 4% 5%None 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 3% 2%

Table 19: Most trusted source of information according to region and area of residence, and poverty level.

Region Area of residence PovertyWestBank

GazaStrip

City

Village

Refugee

camp

Belowthe

poverty

line

Abovethe

poverty

line

Local radio 6% 6% 6% 6% 4% 7% 5%Local TV 28% 40% 32% 32% 38% 37% 30%International TV (satellite) 42% 22% 31% 40% 33% 33% 35%Newspapers 4% 1% 3% 2% 1% 1% 4%Internet 14% 20% 18% 13% 14% 13% 18%SMS messages 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%Friends and relatives 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1%Religious/political personalities 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Blogs 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Other 3% 7% 5% 2% 6% 6% 3%None 3% 2% 3% 2% 1% 1% 3%

Table 20: Most trusted source of information according to sub-region.


Local radio 4% 4% 8% 7% 6%Local TV 29% 26% 30% 37% 44%International TV (satellite) 46% 42% 35% 24% 20%Newspapers 2% 6% 4% 2% 1%Internet 12% 14% 16% 22% 17%SMS messages 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%Facebook/Twitter/etc 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%


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watching local TV. Nevertheless, 32% prefer watching both local and satellite television. Thesepreferences are spread evenly across all subgroups questioned for this survey.

Figure 22: Type of TV watching preferences: Local TV vs. satellite

Local TV (n=327)

12%

Satellite channel (n=1456)

55%

Both of them (n=851)

32%

2. Most popular TV stations

When asked which TV channels they viewed the day before the survey, the highest percentageof viewers (31%) said they watched Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera. Next wereentertainment channels of the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and PA stationPalestine TV both with 18%, followed by satellite news channel Al Arrabiyah29 with 7.5%, Abu

Dhabi TV with 6%, and Hamas station Al-Aqsa TV with just under 4%. As shown in the Figurebelow, viewership of other Palestinian TV stations available in parts of the oPt is rather limited.

Figure 23: TV station that was viewed yesterday

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1

%

0.1%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2

%

0.3%

0.3%

0.3%

0.7

%

0.8%

1.0% 3

.8%

5.0% 7

.5% 1

1.0%

18.2%

18.2%

30

.7%

AlMahed

AlKullTV

AfaqTV

QalqilyaTV

Educatio

nalTV

AlRouahTV

AlAmal

AlNa

wras

Amwaj

GamaTV

AlFajrAlJa

deed

Nors

hat

AlMajd

Bethlehe

mTV

Al-hurra

Isra

elTV

JeninMer k

ez

i

AlSalam

Watta

nTV

Fu

tureTV

BBC

NablusTV

JordanTV

EgyptianTV

LBC

Al-manar

AlAqsaTV

Abu- d

habi

Al -

arrabiyah

Others

MBC

PalestineTV

Al-jazeera

The following Table below shows a breakdown of responses according to the sub-region inwhich the respondents reside. TV stations that did not reach 1% of viewers the day before thesurvey have been grouped together as Others. The Table shows that in the northern WestBank, TV stations Jenin Merkezi, Nablus TV and Al Salam each have about 1% of viewers in

29Part of the MBC group.


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that sub-region. A similar picture appears for local TV stations in the southern West Bank, suchas Bethlehem TV and Al Majd, which again have about 1% viewership each in their region.

The table below also shows that Hamas station Al-Aqsa TV is considerably more watched in theGaza Strip (9%) than it is in the West Bank sub-regions (1% to 2%). Palestine TV is most widelywatched in the southern West Bank (22%) and in the southern Gaza Strip (22%). As for theArabic satellite news channels Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiyah, both seem to enjoy a slightly higherviewership in the Gaza Strip sub-regions than in those of the West Bank. Conversely, the MBCsatellite channels are much more widely watched in the West Bank than in the Gaza Strip.

Table 22: TV station viewed yesterday according to sub-region


% Count % Count % Count % Count % Count

Jenin Merkezi 1% 4 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Nablus TV 1% 5 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Al Salam 1% 4 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Bethlehem TV 0% 0 0% 0 1% 3 0% 0 0% 0Al Majd 0% 0 0% 0 1% 3 0% 0 0% 0Al Aqsa TV 1% 4 1% 3 2% 8 9% 35 9% 38

Palestine TV 17% 76 15% 62 22% 96 17% 70 22% 96Al-Arrabiyah 6% 29 5% 20 4% 17 10% 39 14% 60

Al-Jazeera 30% 137 29% 121 27% 116 35% 144 33% 146Al-manar 1% 3 2% 9 1% 6 0% 1 1% 4Abu-Dhabi 5% 21 4% 19 9% 37 4% 18 2% 11Jordan TV 1% 3 1% 2 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1Israel TV 0% 1 0% 1 1% 2 0% 0 0% 0Egyptian TV 0% 1 1% 2 0% 1 1% 4 2% 7LBC (Lebanon) 1% 5 1% 5 1% 5 0% 1 0% 2MBC 20% 93 29% 124 20% 85 11% 47 8% 35Future TV 0% 0 1% 2 0% 1 0% 1 0% 0Wattan TV 0% 1 0% 1 0% 0 0% 0 1% 3BBC 1% 3 0% 0 0% 0 1% 2 0% 0Others 13% 72 11% 50 10% 48 12% 50 8% 38

When respondents were asked which TV stations they watched in the week preceding the

survey, a similar pattern emerged as for stations viewed the day before. Again, Al-Jazeeraremains the most watched satellite channel with 25% (a decrease of 7 points compared to theprevious question). MBC and Palestine TV were each watched by about 20% of therespondents, Al-Arrabiyah by 9%, and Al-Aqsa TV by roughly 3%.


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Figure 24: TV station that was viewed last week

0.0%

0.0

%

0.0%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1

%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.3%

0.4%

0.8%

0.8%

0.9

% 3.1% 5

.9% 8

.8%

12.0%

20

.0%

20. 4

%25.0%

Norshat

Na

blusTV

Adw

aaTV

AsiaTV

Bethlehem

TV

AlNawras

AlMajd

Al

RouahTV

Amw

aj

AlM

ahed

AlSharqa

AlFajrAlJad

eed

QalqilyaTV

GamaTV

AlSalam

FutureTV

BB

C

IsraelTV

WattanTV

JordanTV

EgyptianTV

LBC

Al-

manar

AlAqsa

TV

Abu-dhab

i

Al-Arrabiyah

Others

PalestineTV

MB

C

Al-ja

zeera

When analysed according to sub-region, patterns are again similar to those that emerged forstations viewed the day before. Once again, Al Aqsa TV, Palestine TV, and Al-Arabiyah weremore widely viewed by Gazans than by Westbankers, while the various MBC satellite channelswere more watched by Westbankers than by Gazans in the week preceding the survey.

Table 23: TV station that was viewed last week according to region

RegionNorth WB Middle WB South WB North GZ South GZ% Count % Count % Count % Count % Count

Gama TV 1% 3 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Al Salam 1% 3 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Wattan TV 0% 0 1% 4 0% 5 0% 0 0% 0

Al Aqsa TV 1% 7 1% 6 1% 5 7% 33 6% 32Palestine TV 19% 102 17% 81 19% 100 22% 113 23% 120Al-Arrabiyah 6% 30 5% 26 5% 26 13% 67 16% 86Al-Jazeera 24% 125 26% 126 24% 127 26% 132 25% 134Al-Manar 2% 9 1% 3 1% 3 0% 1 2% 8Abu-Dhabi 6% 32 6% 31 8% 43 5% 25 4% 20Jordan TV 1% 3 0% 2 0% 2 1% 3 0% 0Egyptian TV 1% 3 1% 3 1% 4 1% 3 2% 8LBC (Lebanon) 1% 3 2% 7 0% 2 1% 5 1% 3MBC 22% 116 27% 131 28% 145 12% 58 13% 68BBC 0% 1 0% 0 0% 0 1% 3 0% 0Others 16% 94 10% 57 9% 62 12% 62 10% 55

Finally, when respondents were asked which of the viewed TV stations they most trusted,the usual suspects reappeared: 38% most trust Al Jazeera, 24% most trust Palestine TV, 11%Al-Arrabiyah, 8% MBC's entertainment channels, and 3% most trust Al-Aqsa TV.


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Figure 25: Most trusted TV station

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0. 0

%

0.1

%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.3%

1.1%

2.7%

3.1%

4.9%

5.8% 7 .7

% 10.9%

23.5%

37.5

JeninMer k

ezi

AlFajrAlJ

adeed

Educational

TV

AlRoua

hTV

AlNawras

FutureTV

As

iaTV

Qalqilya

TV

Amwaj

BethlehemTV

AlMahed

Al-hurra

AlSharqa

AlSalam

AlMajd

JordanTV

IsraelTV

EgyptianTV

WattanTV

BBC

LBC

Al-manar

Abu-dhab

i

AlAqs

aTV

Others

Idon'ttr

ustany

MBC

Al-Arr

abiyah

PalestineTV

Al-jazeera

We have already seen that in the week before the survey, Al-Aqsa TV, Palestine TV, and Al-Arabiyah enjoyed a higher viewership in the Gaza Strip than in the West Bank, while the MBCchannels were more watched in the West Bank than in the Strip. The results here indicate thatAl-Aqsa TV, Palestine TV, and Al-Arabiyah are also trusted by a higher percentage of Gazansthan Westbankers, while the MBC channels are trusted by a higher percentage of Westbankers(10%) than Gazans (4%).

Although the viewership of Al-Jazeera is pretty similar in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,trust levels are different: a significantly higher percentage of Westbankers (41%) than Gazans(32%) say they most trust this station.

When the results are broken down by age group, they show that both Al-Aqsa TV and MBCenjoy the highest level of trust among 18-24 year olds (5% and 11% respectively). On the other

hand, trust in Palestine TV is highest among the 55-and-overs (29%) and lowest among the 18-24 age group (17%).

Table 24: Most trusted TV station according to region of residence, and age category (most importantstations)

Region of residence Age category

West Bank Gaza Strip =55

Al Aqsa TV 1% 6% 5% 3% 3% 4% 1%

Palestine TV 20% 29% 17% 24% 26% 27% 29%

Al-Arabiyah 8% 15% 9% 10% 13% 13% 12%

Al-Jazeera 41% 32% 42% 37% 34% 37% 38%

Al-Manar 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

Abu-Dhabi 3% 2% 3% 4% 2% 2% 3%

MBC 10% 4% 11% 8% 6% 6% 3%

Others 4% 6% 5% 4% 6% 5% 5%

I don't trust any 7% 3% 6% 5% 6% 5% 5%


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3. Most popular Radio stations

Respondents in the survey were also asked about their radio listening. When people wereasked which radio station they listened to the day before the interview, more than sixty differentradio stations were named. The top five most listened to, in descending order, are: Ajyal (15%),Sout Falastin (8%), Sout al-Aqsa (7%), Al-Quds radio (6%), and Raya FM (6%). While Ajyaland Raya are private stations with a music and entertainment focus, Sout Falastin is the stationof the Palestinian Authority, Sout Al Aqsa is aligned with Hamas and Al-Quds with the IslamicJihad movement.

It i

nec palestine media survey apr11

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