Researcher Deeb Rasmi Horani, a student in the Master’s Program in Integrated Digital Media, has defended his thesis titled “The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club Association’s Employment of Digital Media Tools in Managing Media Relations for Advocacy Purposes.”
This study deals with the use of new media by civil society organizations to achieve their communication goals with the local press. It aims to identify the reality of the use of digital media tools by the Palestinian Prisoner Club Association, and the trends in how journalists deal with new media in communicating with the club. This study used the gratifications theory and the concept of advocacy.
The researcher employed the descriptive analytical method through interview and content analysis instruments. As such, 19 interviews were conducted with journalists and two interviews with the Prisoner Club, in addition to analyzing seventeen Prisoner Club posts via WhatsApp and Telegram. The study concluded that the NGOs’ view of the media began to shift positively towards employing new media tools, as they play an important role in achieving the organization’s goals and the advocacy campaigns they carry out.
The study showed that the Prisoner Club Association is a pioneering model in employing the media within its administrative structures and strategic plans, which strengthens it in dealing with the media in a systematic manner, away from seasonality and reactions. The study also revealed that the Prisoner Club Association uses new media as part of strategies to motivate the public, through journalists, to support prisoners’ issues, and to mobilize advocacy and pressure at the international level.
The thesis was supervised by Dr. Shadi Abu Ayyash. The committee of examiners included Dr. Mohammad Abu Alrob and Dr. Omar Abu Arqoub.