Mideast Wire On May 8, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya.net news website carried the following report by Faraj Isma’il: “A source in An-Nas religious satellite channel, admitted that three senior clerics presenting shows on it stopped their shows following the recent appearance of young cleric Amr Khaled on its screen. The source …

Mideast Wire Al-Akhbar, an independent pro-opposition newspaper, wrote in its lead editorial on May 9: “Only a few hours after the secretary general of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ended his news conference, groups of fighters belonging to the opposition forces succeeded in taking control of the Future movement’s offices in …

It was only a matter of time before the world’s biggest name in the music and youth entertainment industry would tap into the consumer hungry, but conservative Middle East, writes Contributing Editor Dana El Baltaji

Refqa Abu-Remaileh on how one filmmaker uses innovative storylines and production techniques to break with more politically overt narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (features video)

Were the 2006 war and the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh operational setbacks but propaganda victories? Pete Ajemian traces recent developments in Hizbullah’s media strategy. (features video)

Middle East insurgencies are learning from each other’s media strategies, writes Contributing Editor Andrew Exum. Can the U.S. Military catch up?

What’s the difference between nine and 50 percent? Two months in prison or $5,000 if you’re a journalist in Sudan. Shereen El Feki on new initiatives to improve health and science journalism in the Arab World.

It’s slick, thorough, professional and balanced – but does the new BBC Arabic satellite channel stand out from the crowd? Middle East media analyst Najm Jarrah weighs in.

Is the Egyptian literary scene enjoying a social realist renaissance? Ingrid Wassmann explores new trends in Cairo’s publishing industry.

Instant Nationalism contains a wealth of material and a useful set of questions to be explored in further studies of transnational media in the Middle East and the shaping of regional public perception and political action, argues Becky Schulthies.