The Role of Media in United Arab Emirates Public Policy Making

Transcription

1 The ole of Meia in Unite Arab Emirates Public Policy Making MAIAM ABDULAZIZ JAIM ALZAABI Acaemy of Islamic Civilization, Faculty of ocial ciences an humanities, UTM. Dr. NUAZMALLAIL BIN MANI Acaemy of Islamic Civilization, Faculty of ocial ciences an humanities, UTM. Abstract This Paper connects theories of political communication, public relations an international relations to conceptualize a new moel of Public Policy, where bounaries between istinct types of actors are rawn. It proposes an ecological moel an a competition moel of Public Policy. Base on these conceptual moels, it empirically supports the acaemic rationalization of governmental interference in foreign meia effects among its omestic citizens: Using a quota sample of 560 survey responent from Unite Arab Emirates, the empirical part of the paper illustrate: 1. Governmental control on foreign meia accessibility has significant effects on perceive meia creibility an thus epenency on it; 2. Availability of omestic meia resource negatively impacts epenency on foreign meia; an 3. Foreign meia an omestic meia, as currently conceptualize, have istinct effects on the psychological activeness of UAE citizen to speak out against social issues. Keywors: Public Policy, Meia, Unite Arab Emirates, Post hoc analysis. Introuction The avancement of communication technologies has enable governments to interact with people in other countries. For either international collaboration or international competition, governments became intereste in communicating with foreign people because they want to buil better national image, facilitate international trae, increase the clarity of their foreign policy; sometimes, governments communicate with foreign activist groups to estabilize an aministration, or reuce rival countries bargaining power in negotiation. With examples of international broacasting plans an Public Policy campaigns preceing this issertation, it examines an compares ifferent channels of activating foreign publics through international meia (Keown, 2018). It focuses on the importance of people s perception of the creibility of the communication channel an information source. Moreover, it stuies how governmental meia influence its people preemptively to reuce the effect of foreign Public Policy. This means that governments are looking forwar to the establishment of an acaemic rationalization of the efensive omestic extension of Public Policy (Guaaybess, 2013). In public relations theory, people who have a irect or inirect association with the organization is calle publics, an there are four types of them: non-publics, latent publics, aware publics an active publics. Organizations aroun the worl try to harmonize their surrouning environment by unerstaning, communicating an influencing the public sometimes this inclues activating latent publics to generate ebate, or eactivating publics for crisis management (Hamy, & Gomaa, 2012). IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 73

2 Governments are essentially organizations, an as they want to o the same thing with its people an foreign publics, scholars an practitioners call this particular type of public relations practice Public Policy. imilarly, an important function of the practice of Public Policy is turning foreign publics from latent publics into active publics. esearch shows that the Arab pring movement is an example of outsie management of public awareness about Democracy, the Color evolution among former oviet states can also be attribute to active engagement of foreign Public Policy activities (Baran, Turk, & Walters, 2003). This paper stuies how such successful case coul be replicate by starting with the right step: researching an unerstaning the target publics. In general, this paper answere these questions: What is the most effective information channel to activate foreign publics? How important is the creibility of these channels in activating foreign publics? elective Accessibility Control an Meia This section as more iscussion to the rationale of this relationship in a competitive environment for meia creibility, an especially in the context of UAE meia lanscape as a subject of Public Policy. The empirical evience provie by these stuies foun that accessibility to a source often works in the same irection with creibility of the source as inepenent variables (Keown, 2018; Howar, Agarwal, & Hussain, 2011; AlAnazi, & Chatfiel, 2012). This fining provies inirect support to the hypothesis that accessibility to omestic meia coul positively influence perceive creibility of omestic meia (an the same for foreign meia). Given such ata, this stuy is also intereste in exploring whether accessibility to foreign meia coul influence creibility of foreign meia. Therefore, this link has the following set of hypotheses: H1a: For foreign meia, perceive meia accessibility positively leas to perceive meia creibility H1b: For omestic meia, perceive meia accessibility positively leas to perceive meia creibility Previously stuies seem to be not intereste in how their unique variances affect each other, if their covariance is controlle for (variances cause by a spurious social cognition variable like trust in all meia, trust in all government). Because omestic meia is more ubiquitous than foreign meia in UAE, it is possible that if a person has access to foreign meia, he/she is alreay unsatisfie with the creibility of omestic meia, or is seeking alternative points of view; otherwise he/she woul not be motivate to fin access to foreign meia content (Al-Anazi, & Chatfiel, 2012). On the other han, if we assume that UAE omestic meia o not eliberately efame or attack foreign meia, then it will be har to argue that if a UAE citizen has high trust in omestic meia, he/she will have low trust in foreign meia. Thus, the following hypotheses propose: H2: Perception of foreign meia creibility will negatively influence perception of omestic meia creibility Meia an Meia esearchers have stuie the relationship between meia use an meia creibility. Golan an Kiousis (2010) explore the ifferent effects of omestic an foreign meia creibility on citizens assessment of emocracy in the Arabic worl. They argue that there is a strong relationship between meia creibility an people s cognitive (alwen & Matera, 1992; Ayish, 2005) an affective (Wanta, Golan, & Lee, 2004) evaluation of foreign nations. In their stuy, their conceptualization an measurement of the meia creibility variable was very similar, or even ientical, to a conceptualization of meia reliance or meia IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 74

3 epenency (Hamy, & Gomaa, 2012). This shows that conceptually meia creibility an meia epenency are highly relate. Conceptually, UAE citizens reliance on foreign an omestic meia coul be conceptualize in meia system epenency terms (Guaaybess, 2013): similar to creibility, it is expecte that foreign meia epenency woul be positively relate to omestic meia epenency, because they are ifferent but overlapping components of an overarching meia system epenency (anra J. Ball-okeach, 1985). Because they are still conceptually ifferent, foreign meia epenency woul be explaine more by foreign meia creibility, an omestic meia woul be explaine more by omestic meia creibility. Here, the following hypotheses are propose: H3a: Perception of foreign meia creibility will negatively influence epenency on foreign meia for unerstaning an orientation H3b: Perception of omestic meia creibility will negatively influence epenency on omestic meia for unerstaning an orientation. Psychological Anteceent of Communicative Behavior ome may woner why the current empirical examination only chose the three anteceents in the TOP moel (namely problem recognition, constraint recognition, involvement recognition), while there are many other possible psychometric variables to look at in political communication literature. For example, political efficacy (Kenski & trou, 2006; Pinkleton, Austin, & Fortman, 1998), political trust (Camaj, 2014; Al-Jenaibi, 2014), an thir-person-effect (Davison, 1983;. Wei & V, 2015) are associate with citizens political behavior or behavioral intentions, of voting, protesting, an communicating. The literatures on foreign meia s influence on omestic publics cognition, attitue an behavior about certain issue of problem have given this stuy abunant support. For example, (nyer, oser, & Chaffee, 1991) foun that access an reliance on foreign meia are significant promoters behin people s intention to emigrate, (Golan & Kiousis, 2010) foun that creibility of international meia promotes suppresses emocratic values among the observe Arabic population. The positive relationship between foreign meia use an increase of materialist thoughts was also examine (Zhu & He, 2002). Many other stuies have showe similar results supporting the point that a person s relationship with foreign meia significantly increase his/her awareness about the issue, an in certain cases, lea to behaviors to change the status quo. H4a: Foreign meia epenency positively influences problem recognition H4b: Domestic meia epenency positively influences problem recognition H5a: Foreign meia epenency positively influences involvement recognition H5b: Domestic meia epenency positively influences involvement recognition H6a: Foreign meia epenency negatively influences constraint recognition. H6b: Domestic meia epenency negatively influences constraint recognition. Methoology If there is theoretical support to supplement the original moel with extra links, these links will be ae to the moel an the moel will be reevaluate in the post hoc analysis. For the initial test, the possible loop between the two types of epenencies is not allowe to maintain the simplicity of the moel. After all, theoretical iscussion about competition between ifferent types of system epenencies goes beyon the scope of this paper. In sum, the moel shown in the following figure 1 will be teste. IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 75

4 Figure 1: Theoretical Moel First of all, as can be seen in figure 1, the moels were theoretically conceptualize as an influence chain between blocks of variables: that is, theoretically, a variable in the same block tens to be spurre by a common latent variable. For example, numerous stuies foun that epenencies on ifferent types of meia are positively correlate. This shows the possibility that either foreign meia epenency or omestic meia epenency is a part of people s general epenency on all meia. This means that although the moel expects them to be ifferent constructs, their error terms (the variance that cannot be explaine by istinguishing foreign from omestic) are very likely to be spurre by a common latent variable of general meia epenency, which is not observe by the inicators in our questionnaire. As for the variables in the communicative behavior anteceent block previous stuy on the TOP moel have preominantly treate these as exogenous variables, an thus they are theoretically hypothesize as covarying. Consiering that they usually covary an constitutes to a common latent factor calle situational motivation in previous moels, in the current stuy their error terms will be propose as covarying. The questionnaire inclues survey questions to represent the operationalize variables. This questionnaire was create in English, an was translate into Arabic language. The translation process was one by the author, who worke as a professionally traine translator an interpreter. After translation, the translate questionnaire was examine by two native Arabic teachers who currently resie in UAE to check for any grammatical error or inappropriate use of wors an phrases. ample ize The research company collecte a total of 560 responses among users of facebook.com in UAE group, the survey was provie to Facebook UAE users on a first-come-first-get basis for a cash rewar no greater than 5 Dirham (about 1.4 U ollars). The sampling frame is 165,000 registere users of facebook.com at UAE group. Demographics Gener-wise, 52.4% of the sample is female, slightly more than male responents. It has a mean age of 30.3 with a stanar eviation of 7.2 (range being 19 to 63). egaring highest eucation levels, 2.1% hol mile school iploma, 9.1% hol high school iploma, 30.9% hol a 2-year college egree, 50.9% hol a IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 76

5 bachelor egree an 7.0% hol a master egree or above. The ate of responing the questionnaire of each participant (M = 101.1, D = 53.3). Table 1 shows the etails of the above-mentione emographic variables. To be comparable with the national population census, some of the categories were recore in our ata. Table 1: Comparison of Demographics N % N % p value Gener Male % 68,685 51% Female % 65,287 49% Age % 76,215 8% % 99,704 10% % 128,614 13% % 104,886 10% % 92,998 9% % 114,560 11% % 124,891 12% % 104,364 10% % 80,581 8% Eucation Illiterate 0 0% 5,466 4% N/A*** Primary chool 0 0% 35,876 29% N/A Mile chool 12 2% 51,966 42% 0.00 High chool % 18,799 15% 0.00 Bachelor an above % 11,964 10% 0.00 esience City % 66,558 50% 0.00 ural % 67,415 50% 0.00 First the loaings of each inicator on its latent variable were examine to make sure there were no extremely low loaings, an then accoring to theory, some errors were correlate with their counterparts among inicators of another latent variable. For example, error terms of meia affinity an believability, an foreign an omestic meia accessibility were correlate. ome other inicators were roppe from a factor because it share much variance with a series of other variables. After this process, the CFA moel has a CFI =.935, MEA =.048, PCLOE =.797 an M =.047. All inicators showing that the moel has a goo fit, the propose moel fits the estimate moel in terms of major correlations inherent in the ataset. Valiity an eliability Tests Using the above-mentione CFA moel, the correlation matrix of all the latent variables in the moel was prouce, with Composite eliability (C), Average Variance Extracte (AVE), Maximum hare Variance (MV) an Average hare Variance (AV) calculate. Two iscriminant valiity issues emerge for problem recognition s iscriminant valiity against involvement recognition. Actually, as Kim (2010) an Kim an Grunig (2011) explaine when they evelope the cognition measurement, the iscriminant valiity among the three recognition variables may vary epening on the actual topic of the problem. Given that the problem presente to the responents was environment pollution, it is reasonable to assume that most citizens, as long as they nee to breathe, woul feel involve with the problem if they IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 77

6 think it is a problem. This means that problem recognition an involvement recognition are likely to cover in the current context. Table 2: Check for eliability, Discriminant Valiity an Convergent Valiity C AVE MV Max Factor A* B C D E F G H I Coe of Foreign Meia A on Foreign Meia B on C Accessibility of Foreign Meia D Accessibility of E Problem ecognition F Constraint ecognition G of H Involvement ecognition I Note: Composite eliability (C), Average Variance Extracte (AVE), Maximum hare Variance (MV), an Max eliability (Max) *The bole number on the iagonal line is the root of AVE for each factor, then it is compare with any of the inter-factor correlation beneath it. Thus, given this theoretical support, error terms of items 3 in involvement recognition an item 5 in problem recognition were covarie. With this improvement, moel fit was improve (CFI =.943, MEA =.048, PCLOE =.827, M =.045). Then, the correlation matrix of all the latent variables an relevant parameters were requeste an calculate again. Table 2 shows the final correlation matrix an relevant C, AVE, MV an AV reaings. The results emonstrate that the latent variables pass the tests of reliability, convergent valiity an iscriminant valiity. Hypothesis testing The moification inices showe that there are irect relationships between perception of omestic meia accessibility an problem recognition, as well as involvement recognition. This is theoretically soun: if a person thinks there is easy access to omestic news about environment pollution an such news is abunant, it is more likely for him/her to feel the problem an feel involve. It also suggests a irect link between perceive omestic meia creibility an constraint recognition: while theoretically this link is spurre possibly through common trust in omestic meia as government agencies, an thus government trust, it was ae into the specifie moel. Moreover, perception of access to foreign news about environment pollution is linke with constraint recognition. The moel was estimate (Figure 2), which achieve great moel fit (χ 2 = 36.2, f = 15, p =.002; CFI =.990, MEA =.050, PCLOE =.475, M =.040). The parameter estimates an the square multiple correlations for enogenous variables are shown in the following Table 2. At last, a post hoc power analysis IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 78

7 was performe to see how much confience this stuy has in the explaine variances of enogenous variables it foun out. For all the observe square of the 4 enogenous variables, the results suggest that all observe square reaings have post hoc statistical power above.99. Path En H1a H1b H2a H2b H3a H3b H4a H4b H5a H5b H6a Figure 2: pecification of Moel Table 3: Hypotheses Testing in Moel Hypothesize Unstanarize tanarize Hypothesize Path tart elatio Coefficient Coeffici p ejecte nship ent Foreign Meia Foreign Meia <.001 upporte Accessibility Accessibility Foreign Meia Foreign Meia Foreign Meia Foreign Meia Foreign Meia H6b Note: N.. = Not ignificant Foreign Meia Foreign Meia Problem ecognition Problem ecognition Involvement ecognition Involvement ecognition Constraint ecognition Constraint ecognition <.001 upporte <.001 ejecte + N.. ejecte <.001 upporte <.001 upporte ejecte <.001 upporte + N.. ejecte <.001 upporte <.001 upporte - N.. ejecte IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 79

8 Discussion & Conclusion Important Finings This paper has several finings that can be highlighte: Firstly, it hypothesizes an supports the existence of a passive reliance process before the formation of meia creibility perception; econly, it illustrates a way of istinguishing foreign meia creibility from omestic meia creibility, an their respective relations with iniviuals epenency on each kin of meia; Thirly, it illustrates the ifferent mechanisms by which epenency on either foreign or omestic meia lea to communicative activeness about a social issue. Last but not the least; the paper comes up with a new structural- functionalist theory of Public Policy as governmental projects. The first fining about the passive reliance on meia illustrates the importance of government policy about meia access. Controlling which meia citizens can access have been the e facto practice of many governments: such control, from a Western perspective, can be etrimental to meia emocratization, but can also be necessary for sovereignty from the perspective of more centralize, authoritarian cultures. Accessibility to foreign meia has a significant, an powerful, positive effect on the perceive creibility of foreign meia in UAE. uch link also exists for omestic meia, yet it is not as strong as the one for foreign meia. However, the positive effect of creibility perception on meia epenency was similarly strong for both foreign an omestic meia: this illustrates that controlling for meia accessibility can effectively lea to an inirect control on the level of iniviual level meia epenency. It is especially important to note that the results suggest that increase perception omestic meia access woul lea to a reuce iniviual level epenence on foreign meia. This is an interesting, but not surprising, fining which may have something to o with how UAE omestic meia cut short citizens reliance on foreign meia (Kirat, 2007). Moreover, it was foun that foreign meia an omestic meia create ifferent effects in terms of the psychological activation. Comparing with omestic meia, foreign meia o not relate to people s involvement recognition, an reuces the extent to which responents think environment pollution as a problem. At the same time, foreign meia epenency has a irect constraint-relieving effect on responents activeness, while omestic meia oes not have. Theoretical an Geographical Extension o far, this paper evelope a theoretical moel of Public Policy with a focus on the structural relationships between ifferent types of actors an their relative functions. It then empirically examine a part of the structural relationships in the theoretical moel: by proposing an examining a structural equation moel of public s activation, this paper empirically supporte: the potential of policy makers to moify foreign meiating actors relationship with omestic publics by ajusting meia accessibility that omestic publics relationship with ifferent types of meia can increase publics situational motivation to speak out about a social problem. The empirical tests give preliminary support to the new conceptualization of Public Policy illustrate. However, not all the structural links shown in figure 2 were empirically teste. For example, how government collaborates with non-state meiating actors is yet to be fully explore an examine with empirical moels an real-worl ata: for example, Jiang an Bowen (2011) explore the link between power an ethical ecision making in the relationships between governments, NGOs an activist groups Also, how performing meiators interact an collaborates with channeling meiators (such as Facebook, WhatsApp) in the context of Public Policy is also an important part of the theoretical moel. It woul be IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 80

9 meaningful to examine how o channeling meiators moifies public perception of governmental interaction with performing meiators. Moreover, international organizations such as IOC, WTO, UN an IMF are categorize as performing meiators. However, these international organizations can be ifferent in terms of their relationship with iniviual governments. Inee, they are international venues where state actions an policies are presente to the global auience, but organizations such as the Unite Nations are also a collection of government an may have the same time certain restrictive power on state behavior. If powerful international organizations publish negative information about a government s policy, how woul such government, as well as other governments, respon in its power to moify the effect of such message on global auience? In short, many other links in the past stuies are worth future exploration. The secon possible extension of the current stuy may be geographical. This is to say that the moel coul be empirically examine in other areas of the worl. While not necessarily every country or region has governments that regulate foreign meia content, several places are absolutely of future research interest. esearch has also showe that people in Iraq, Qatar, Egypt are aware of the ifferences between foreign an omestic meia. The next step woul be fining out if these ifferent perceptions lea to ifferent meia use, exposure, cognition an political or even terrorist behavior. Coul government control on foreign meia accessibility or perception be effective in stabilizing the region ieologically? An what oes control mean for numerous new-born emocracies in terms of social construction? esearch on meia control can efinitely help us to better answer these questions.. Limitations The paper is limite in several ways: first, the empirical examinations i not cover all the conceptual relationships propose in past literature, leaving some of them at the theoretical stage without real-worl evience. econly, the theoretical scope is limite to the author s experience in Public Policy, knowlege in international relations an perhaps an emphasis on the psychometric aspect of the empirical testing. Formal theory builing in the fiel of political science can significantly soliify the theoretical founation. Thirly, the ata collecte for empirical examination oes not come from a national ranom sampling process in UAE, an thus shoul not be interprete as nationally representative; people who resie in less evelope or culturally iverse areas of UAE are less represente in the sample. However, the sample oes have consierable face valiity since it comes from perhaps the main target group of Public Policy: welleucate, mi-age people who use Internet. At a higher level, even the new moel for Public Policy shoul be use with caution. The purpose of this stuy is to raw bounaries between actors of Public Policy, yet, there are two important theoretical limitations of a structural-functionalist conceptualization. The first is that many of the actors in the moel are multiple-goal-oriente rather than being motivate by a single goal of Public Policy. The practice of Public Policy is actually co-orienting the goals of ifferent actors (incluing the ifferent levels of government) for transnational relationship builing, situational persuasion an feeback-base strategy making. This means that every actor inclue in moel oes not exist simply because of Public Policy. Thus, their behaviors coul be subjects to a more powerful cause. econly, the penetration of government agencies into the neutral groun of social meia unermines the purity of the wiely respecte, attene an stuie user-generate content. The bounaries between users an governments are efinitely iminishing, or perhaps they have never existe since the beginning of social meia. Drawing bounaries in social meia is har, but for governments such work is also necessary, because it woul be naïve to assume the absolute benignity of cyber sphere. The empirical examinations of this paper were performe with the UAE context, this as to another level of limitation beyon the overlapping nature of accessibility, exposure an control. The UAE context involves ramatic ifferences between foreign an omestic meia s availability an accessibility: IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 81

10 however, a comparison between foreign meia an omestic meia s accessibility coul have better results if the ifference in their accessibility levels was less ramatic. In the UAE context, access to omestic meia can harly be partial among the population targete by this stuy. In other wors, access to omestic meia is usually saturate, an such access can be imperative in places where moern communication technology is present. Thus, what is of most value in this paper shoul be the effect of foreign meia access on citizen s activeness. etrospectively, the competition phenomenon may have been aequately moele by the empirical moels: it coul be better name as a survival moel of foreign meia creibility in a saturate environment of omestic meia accessibility. When thinking at this level, even the UAE context starts to lose its uniqueness: perhaps it is reasonable for us to assume that foreign meia operate with a survival moel in any given national context. Conclusions As a final note, this paper was written with the sincerest hope that citizens aroun the worl can become literate about the fact that the meium is the message (McLuhan, 1964), an can possess the ability to think critically about the meium or the messages that may guie their perceptions an behaviors. As of 2018, we are all living in an era of unpreceente globalization, cultural integration, an global ieological re- alignment. But, it is also an era of high uncertainty because of the regionalist an protectionist policymaking in various governments aroun the worl. With new consierations on how information was an is being create, package an istribute aroun the worl, it is the responsibility of policy makers, meia workers an publics aroun the worl to prevent cultural an political extremism, which can inspire istrust, isrespect an misunerstaning between global communities. eferences AlAnazi, J. M., & Chatfiel, A. (2012). haring government-owne ata with the public: a cross-country analysis of open ata practice in the Mile East. Al-Jenaibi, B. (2014). The nature of Arab public iscourse: ocial meia an the Arab pring. Journal of Applie Journalism & Meia tuies, 3(2), Ayish, M. I. (2005). Virtual public relations in the Unite Arab Emirates: A case stuy of 20 UAE organizations use of the Internet. Public elations eview, 31(3), Baran, B. A., Turk, J. V., & Walters, T. N. (2003). haring the transformation: Public relations an the UAE come of age. In The global public relations hanbook (pp ). outlege. Ball-okeach,.J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976). A Moel of Mass-Meia Effects. Communication esearch, 3(1), Ball-okeach, anra J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976). A epenency moel of mass-meia effects. Communication esearch, 3(1), Billett,. (2010). Diviing climate change: global warming in the Inian mass meia. Camaj, L. (2014). The Consequences of Attribute Agena-etting Effects for Political Trust, Participation, an Protest Behavior. Journal of Broacasting & Electronic Meia, 58(4), Davison, W. P. (1983). The thir-person effect in communication. Public Opinion, 47(1), Fico, F., icharson, J. D., & Ewars,. M. (2004). Influence of story structure on perceive story bias an news organization creibility. Mass Communication & ociety, 7(3), Fuchs, C. (2010). New imperialism: Information an meia imperialism?. Global Meia an Communication, 6(1), Fuchs, C. (2012). ocial meia, riots, an revolutions. Capital & Class, 36(3), IN Alzaabi & Marni (2019) 82

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