AJMI – Doha

The e-learning platform at Al Jazeera Media Institute is launching a course titled “Behind the News: How does a journalist understand society?”, which explores how social science tools and methodologies can be used to understand events in their wider contexts and produce more accurate and in-depth journalistic coverage.

The course is delivered by Dr Hassan Obeid, a researcher specialising in social transformations and social movements. It examines the impact of social, economic and cultural changes on journalistic work and roles, and how social science tools can help journalists understand society, public opinion and digital phenomena, and analyse and interpret them.

The course moves from formulating a research question and collecting data to using in-depth interviews, immersion, participant observation and digital data analysis. It also looks at the role of narrative and framing in shaping meaning, and how these tools can be used to understand the experiences of marginalised groups and present their issues within their social and cultural contexts.

The programme includes a dedicated module on critically reading opinion polls, digital content and algorithms, and assessing the extent to which they reflect reality and public opinion. It also discusses the concept of the Global South, and the impact of knowledge hegemony and cultural contexts on knowledge production and media coverage.

Through this practical approach, the course aims to support journalists in uncovering invisible biases, diversifying sources, and reducing stereotyping in coverage of issues and communities.

The course trainer, Dr Hassan Obeid, holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Duisburg–Essen in Germany and a Master’s degree in Sociology from Birzeit University. He has published studies and works on social transformations and issues in the Middle East and has served as a visiting researcher at the University of Duisburg–Essen and as a researcher at the Palestinian Heritage and Society Research Centre in Al Bireh.​