Alan L. Heil Jr. documents the plethora of new public diplomacy channels broadcasting in Arabic, including France 24, Deutsche Welle, and Russia TV Today, arguing credibility will be crucial to success with audiences in an increasingly crowded market.

BBC Monitoring Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 17 May     [Report by Mu'awiyah Yasin in Riyadh: "Saudi Radio Station Joins ' Open Councils' in addressing people's grievances."]     Since the era of Saudi Arabia founder, King Abd-al-Aziz Bin-Abd-al-Rahman Al Sa'ud, the Saudi people with grievances have always resorted to …

By scrapping Voice of America in the Middle East, the US has both undercut its own public diplomacy interests and the interests of listeners in the region itself, argues Laurie Kassman.

MEB Journal Egyptian actor Ezzat Abu Ouf will star in a new TV series "Omaret Yacoubian" (The Yaacoubian Building), which is scheduled to run during Ramadan. The drama will be based on the Story of Ala’a Al Aswani. Read full story at Good News For Me.

BBC Monitoring Between 0500-1000 gmt on 19 May, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah Television in Arabic is observed to carry the following reports on security and political developments in Iraq:     Within its 0500 gmt newscast, the channel carries the following reports:      - "During his Friday [18 May] sermon in Baghdad, Imam Harith …

BBC Monitoring Algerian newspapers today described the new parliament as lacking "credibility and legitimacy" as a result of the very low turnout, officially at 35.51 per cent of the registered voters, in the 17 May legislative elections.     Up to 18 million eligible voters from Algeria's 33 million people cast ballots …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring on 18 May     Hamas and Fatah agreed on 12 May to halt "inflammatory media campaigns" in the print media and on radio and TV stations.     But the last week has seen the two sides step up their rhetoric and exchange of …

BBC Monitoring Analysis by Amani Soliman of BBC Monitoring on 17 May     Rusiya al-Yawm or Russia Today is a state-funded, Arabic-language satellite TV news channel which was launched on 4 May 2007. It is widely seen as the latest front in a Kremlin drive to restore its Soviet-era influence in …

BBC Monitoring The Bethlehem-based, independent Ma'an news agency in Arabic reported on 16 May at 2101 gmt: "The Hamas movement has stated that the attempt to depict the current events in Gaza as inter-Palestinian fighting between Fatah and Hamas is a mere attempt to mislead local and international public opinion." …

BBC Monitoring Excerpt from live phone interview on Channel 1 TV with Egyptian TV correspondent in Gaza City to comment on the siege of the building which houses media offices in Gaza, broadcast on 16 May     [Presenter] Shuhdi al-Kashif [Egyptian TV correspondent in Gaza] joins us now from inside the …