Voting, Not Violence, is the Story for Arab Press

Yesterday's historic elections in Iraq proved, by many accounts, to be a relative success, but the story of the day may be the measured reaction of the Arab press. Popular news outlets Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, who have spent most of the last two years broadcasting images of violence to the Middle East and the rest of the world, took a step back from this type of coverage to provide meaningful analysis of the day's events. While insurgent attacks did lead to dozens of killings and many injuries, the stations were careful not to overplay the violence, with reports on bloodshed relegated to news tickers or secondary reporting. Newspapers as well as the Arab satellite channels provided thoughtful and broad extended coverage of the vote itself, with profiles, voting guides, and analysis from outside Iraq providing more nuanced debate on what is still a controversial topic. The careful coverage represented a significant departure from typical reporting in the region, underscoring the impact Iraqi elections may have in the future of the Middle East. – YaleGlobal