New/s Gatekeepers: The Impact of Social Media Algorithms on Arab TV News Coverage

Drawing on gatekeeping theory and platform governance, this study examined Arab journalists’ perspectives on news gatekeeping via social media, the challenges they faced when covering politically sensitive events, and the strategies they employed to address those challenges. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining in-depth interviews with twenty-four Arab multimedia journalists, social media specialists, and managers, along with an online survey of 171 Arab journalists from four Arab countries. The results revealed that the participants perceived algorithms as powerful intermediaries that considerably influenced their professional practices and news values on social media. They reported their experiences of shadow banning and content removal, particularly when reporting on Arab political issues such as the Palestinian issue. Journalists have reported that they must either adapt to the algorithmic dynamics or employ strategies to circumvent the algorithmic restrictions on Arab news coverage. This study underscores the need for greater transparency in algorithmic curation to ensure the fair representation of diverse voices in political news coverage.