BBC Arabic and Al Jazeera News Platforms on the Humanitarian Crisis in Syria (the problem of social responsibility)

Abstract

This article examines how the principles of the media’s social responsibility are implemented by BBC Arabic and Al Jazeera Net in their coverage of the humanitarian crisis on the Syrian coast in the period between March and June 2025. The empirical basis of the study comprises 116 journalistic items selected through exhaustive sampling, including 54 publications from BBC Arabic and 62 from Al Jazeera Net. The study is grounded in the theory of the media’s social responsibility and framing theory. Its aim is to compare the crisis coverage across three dimensions: dominant media frames, information source structures, and compliance with professional and ethical standards. The methodology follows a mixed-methods content analysis based on Krippendorff’s model; coding reliability reached α > 0.85, and statistical significance was assessed using the chi-square test (χ², p < 0.05). The findings indicate that BBC Arabic predominantly employs a humanitarian frame and relies on the testimony of witnesses and its own correspondents, whereas Al Jazeera Net more frequently uses conflict and geopolitical frames and relies mainly on official sources. Statistically significant differences have been identified in frame distribution, source types, and adherence to professional-ethical standards. These results clarify the role of editorial policy in shaping social responsibility of the media during humanitarian crises and provide practical implications for improving standards in digital journalism.