IRAQI PRESS COVERAGE OF THE 2023 LOCAL ELECTIONS-AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE CONTENT OF OPINION ARTICLES IN AL-SABAH AND AL-ZAMAN NEWSPAPERS

Abstract

This study was based on a main objective, which is to know how the Iraqi press dealt with the issue of the Iraqi local elections for the year 2023, by analyzing the opinion articles published in Al-Sabah and Al-Zaman newspapers before the elections and monitoring the elements of highlighting used in the articles and revealing the contents raised in them in addition to analyzing the persuasion strategies used and monitoring the paths of proof and finally analyzing the media frameworks used. The study reached many results, the most prominent of which were: 1- The personal photos of the writer are the most common highlighting element in both newspapers. 2- Political issues received the main focus of the local election articles in both newspapers. Al-Sabah showed greater interest in purely political issues, while Al-Zaman showed greater interest in multiple issues and economic issues. 3- As for the persuasion strategies used in newspaper articles, the study showed that Al-Sabah showed greater interest in using numbers and statistics compared to Al-Zaman, and Al-Sabah also showed greater interest in using the promises of the candidates compared to Al-Zaman. 4- As for the paths of proof in the articles in Al-Sabah and Al-Zaman newspapers, the study showed that citing the events of the October 2019 demonstrations is the most common path of proof in both newspapers. By comparing them, it becomes clear that Al-Sabah was more interested in citing the events of the October demonstrations compared to Al-Zaman.