Publication

This paper looks at the role Libyan media has played in shaping and reinforcing popular opinions of security actors in the country and helping them build their constituencies. To do this, the authors monitored the narratives and language used in the daily news programs of three popular TV channels regarding four security topics -- the General National Congress (GNC), revolutionary brigades, Ansar Al Sharia, and retired Libyan national army general Khalifa Haftar -- and also conducted a nationwide survey gathering public attitudes on these topics. They found the media's highly partisan and polarized reporting helped shape public perception of the security and political actors and helped them build perceptions of legal legitimacy. This trend remains valid today.