Political Media and the Concept of National Identity: A Contemporary Analytical Study 2011-2023

Introduction

Different trends in political media have significantly impacted the concept of national identity, both positively and negatively, particularly in the context of the political culture of individuals and public opinion on various issues (national, regional, international) that are characterized by a fixed and influential nature in the understanding of national identity and the principles of national security and sovereignty. This influence occurs through political media trends that support individuals and the public in exercising freedom of expression and opinion, as well as contributing to the political decision-making process regarding a range of issues related to national identity either in a direct or indirect manner. This has turned political media into a significant tool and means through which the existing political system interacts with public opinion in order to achieve high levels of enhancement of national identity. This can be summarized in the following points (Shezari, 2006, p. 14):

1. Focus on a Single Issue: Political media trends do not solely concentrate on political matters but also engage with other aspects encompassed by the concept of national identity.
2. Monitoring Specific Issues: One of the main features of political media trends is their constant awareness of various issues, whether they are national, regional, or international. This characteristic represents the most effective approaches that contribute to the “formation and development” of the concept of national identity within the nation-state, thereby continuously circulating ongoing developments within it.
3. Providing Comparative Messages: A key characteristic of political media trends is their role as a means of reinforcing the concept of national identity, which helps citizens assess the movement of existing political trends within the nation-state.

To clarify such facts, this study has been divided into three main sections:

1. The Nature of the Procedural Concepts of Political Media.
2. The Implications of Political Media Trends on the Concept of National Identity within the Nation-State.
3. The New Requirements Necessary for Political Media Trends to Enhance the Concept of National Identity within the Nation-State.

Statement of the Problem:

The weak correlational relationship between Libyan political media trends and the concept of national identity has contributed to a noticeable weakness in the functional performance of media institutions, particularly in activating the concept of national identity within the nation-state. This weakness presents a critical challenge given that national identity serves as an important tool for addressing most political phenomena. Consequently, this has led to negative repercussions, especially regarding the required media roles and the loss of the concept of effective political media or communication in performing media tasks in an optimal manner, far removed from manifestations of authoritarian media—or what is known in media studies as constrained (guided) media. This situation has also resulted in weak media function efficiency, exemplified by a lack of content in media productions, contributing to numerous cases of “entanglement and complexity” in both the nature of media campaigns and the absence of the application of rules, procedures, standards, and criteria that ought to be applied due to the near-total absence of political media trends, particularly official ones, which represent an effective tool in confronting the objective dangers arising from the problem of weak political performance within the structures and institutions of most contemporary media institutions.

Consequently, there is a necessity to develop political media trends—both “official and unofficial”—to benefit from the positive impacts of formulating effective media trends that lead to what is known in political media literature as “effective media communication.” This includes efforts to enhance the national identity that can achieve speed in conveying political media trends optimally and activating the concept of “citizenship.”

In the same context, it is necessary to point out another problem, which lies in the weak influence of official political media trends in establishing the required sense of national identity within the nation-state. This lack of influence will likely produce various issues that perpetuate the phenomenon of national public opinion within a conventional media framework (authoritarian, guided) or what is known as limited and apathetic public opinion, reinforcing the growth of concepts like “dependent culture” and a reluctance to accept any form of new media developments analogous to effective media communication, which has become a primary indicator of the current development within working media institutions, whether governmental or non-governmental (Al-Amari, 2020, p. 33).

Thus, it can be stated that this “traditional” media reality will contribute to the increase of both “formal and substantive” challenges capable of distancing all media institutions operating within the contemporary nation-state from achieving optimal performance in their functional roles based on the principles of effective communication, which will in turn help to prevent the problem of weak national identity supporting the concept of citizenship. Additionally, this would help avoid mistakes when applying official political media trends in plans, programs, and ideas that enhance the role of national political media in nurturing national identity. This consequently reflects positively on the relevant (motivations, characteristics, components, objectives) related to political media’s role in promoting the concept of national identity and its implications for social harmony within the nation-state (previous reference, p. 34).

Study Objectives:

1. To understand the essence of the concept of political media.
2. To determine the extent of the “scientific and practical” correlation between political media trends and the concept of national identity and their impact on the state of citizenship.
3. To identify the desired shape and nature of the relationship between political media trends and the concept of national identity within the nation-state.
4. To identify the operational mechanisms on which national political media trends are based and the principles through which the concept of national identity is developed and public support is augmented within the nation-state.

Importance of the Study:

1. To analyze the objective problems affecting the correlational relationship between the concept of national political media trends and the concept of national identity.
2. To assess the extent of understanding the benefits of required political media trends when addressing manifestations of weak performance in media work within the departments or media divisions associated with the Ministry of Information and Community Culture.
3. To explore the required media strategy regarding national political media trends and its role in mitigating the weakness of “media content” within various national media institutions.
4. To open fields of scientific research on this subject through the ideas and information this study will provide, assisting researchers and interested parties in enhancing their focus on the topic of the study.

Study Hypothesis:

This study is based on the hypothesis that: “Political media trends contribute to influencing the concept of national identity within the nation-state, either directly or indirectly.”

Research Questions:

• What is meant by the correlational relationship between the concept of political media and the concept of national identity?
• How do political media trends influence the concept of national identity within the nation-state?
• To what extent do political media trends affect the nature of national identity and the concept of citizenship?

Theoretical Definitions:

1. Political Media: “It is the process of disseminating information, news, analyses, and commentaries related to political affairs, whether they revolve around internal policy issues or their relationship with the international environment” (Al-Jilani, 2019, p. 23).
2. National Political Media: “It encompasses news, information, data, commentaries, speeches, conferences, seminars, celebrations, meetings, and roundtables characterized by a political nature, disseminated by media outlets, whether audiovisual, electronic, advertising, or print, issued by either public or private entities within the nation-state.”
3. Public Opinion: “It refers to the prevailing opinion, consensus, or collective agreement among the majority of the public concerning a specific issue that is the subject of intellectual debate. Such consensus has a significant influence on the issue around which the intellectual debate revolves” (Al-Hussein, 2019, p. 54).
4. National Identity: “It refers to the essential shared characteristics of a group of people that distinguish them from other groups, as they resemble one another in the basic traits that form them as a group. They may differ in other aspects, but these do not affect their being a single group” (Abd, 2004, p. 42).

Methodology of the Study:

To achieve the primary objectives of this study, the following research methodologies have been employed (Al-Jilani, previously referenced, p. 36):

1. Descriptive Analytical Method: This method will be used to dissect all elements associated with the study’s problem to enable “explanation, prediction, and generalization” to reach logical results that can be tested and substantiated.
2. Case Study Method: This method will aim to identify one variable while controlling the other variables unrelated to the study’s problem.

Study Limits:

1. Cognitive Limits: These represent the ideas and orientations that political media policies offer to activate media work to contribute to the development of the concept of national identity within the nation-state.
2. Spatial Limits: These encompass the “sovereign” geographical limits of all nation-states recognized by the United Nations since its establishment in 1945.
3. Temporal Limits: This study begins with the establishment of the United Nations in 1945 and the recognition of nation-states’ independence, extending to 2023, which marks the conclusion of this study’s writing.

Challenges of the Study:

1. The limited sources and references that have addressed the subject of the study, particularly those concerning the political media trends about the concept of national identity within the nation-state.
2. The scarcity of previous studies that have addressed the study topic.

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Section One – The Essence of the Procedural Concept of Political Media

The issue of determining the essence of the procedural concept of political media began in the 1970s, particularly when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) started to give special importance to media policy, particularly following the emergence of technological revolutions in communication (wired and wireless), which contributed to making media and communication one of the most important socio-political issues due to its complexity. This led most contemporary political systems to work towards defining the procedural concept of political media and establishing controls and standards for all media policies that minimize their functions and objectives while preserving their political ideologies. The United Nations has undertaken a series of studies on national communication policies in various countries since 1974 to educate member states about the concept of communication policies at all governmental levels (organizations, institutions, agencies) by analyzing existing communication policies in some contemporary member states. In this context, UNESCO held a series of international governmental conferences to discuss communication policies in developing countries, which contributed to delivering a report to the International Committee for the Study of Communication Problems affiliated with UNESCO, known as the “MacBride Commission” that concluded its work in 1980. This commission highlighted the concept of media policies and provided an operational definition, stating: “Media policies are the principles and standards governing the national state’s activities regarding the organization, management, monitoring, evaluation, and alignment of various communication systems and forms, particularly mass communication and principal information devices, to achieve the best social-political outcomes within the contemporary nation-state” (Al-Saih, 2010, p. 10).

It is essential to consider that this definition, put forth by UNESCO, emphasizes several basic points (Al-Bazouri, 2023, p. 12):

• Defining the nature of media policies.
• Identifying existing media and communication systems and institutions within the contemporary nation-state.
• Defining information dissemination institutions, their structures, functions, and the relevant legislation establishing them.
• Identifying the processes relevant to evaluating the results of media and communication activities, particularly those with social and political impacts, while noting that some media-political studies view there are comprehensive national media policies from which various subsidiary policies branch out, with each having specific media outlets and associated communication activities. Naturally, there should be some unity among media policies, whether main or subsidiary, under the umbrella of comprehensive media policies aligned with the general media policies of the nation-state.

It is also important to mention that some media-political studies have found that the concept of “political communication” includes all tools and means connecting individuals (“the public”) directly to local community issues, whether national, regional, or international. Other media-political studies defined political media as the principles underpinning the operations of media outlets (governmental and non-governmental) within the nation-state, noting that media content and communication can vary between nation-states based on several factors (Hamadeh, previously referenced, p. 44):

• The nature of the existing media and communication systems and their information transfer functions, legislative frameworks, and the ethical dimensions guiding media activity, along with the internal and external political implications and financial funding conditions.
• The type of communication media technologies used and their limits concerning other elements (human and material).
• The processes associated with evaluating the outcomes of media and communication activities, particularly those with social-political impacts on the targeted public.

There exists an objective procedural difference between media trends and the concept of media planning due to the following considerations:

1. Media trends set the main lines for the course of media and communication activities to achieve specific goals.
2. Media trends translate these suppositions into specific policies ready for implementation in real life.
3. Media trends originating from media planning are those that utilize the available or potentially available human and material resources over the years of the plan to achieve specific goals within the media policy, with optimal use of those resources.

General Principles Underpinning Political Media Trends:

1. Principle of Achieving Democracy: This depends on three essential points:
   • The legitimacy of the public’s right to support (the concept of national identity).
   • The legitimacy of the right to benefit from the targeted public (individuals’ public opinion phenomena).
   • The legitimacy of the right to “support and benefit” the targeted public (the concepts of national identity and citizenship).
2. Principle of Having a Constitution: The existence of a constitution represents the legitimate entity through which “levels and scopes” of civil liberties are determined, including (the right to acquire national identity, the right to express opinions, and the right to access information).
3. Principle of Laws Protecting Political Media: These laws protect the press, media professionals, and relate to broadcasting laws. They also cover regulations regarding advertisements and public opinion polls (previous reference, p. 50).

It should be noted that there are media-political studies that see the essence of the concept of political media trends as “those organizations, institutions, or bodies, whether official or unofficial, that work to convey ideas and values regarding specific issues to the targeted public,” also understanding that they form a communal social system aiming to achieve previously predetermined objectives by political decision-makers within the contemporary nation-state.

Objectives of Political Media Trends:

Most political media policies aim to achieve several fundamental goals that can be outlined as follows (Abd, previously referenced, p. 47):

1. To motivate citizens (“the public”) to move from a state of passive public opinion to active public opinion, especially concerning issues that are national, religious, ideological, and related to local culture, which directly impacts the concept of national identity as a first step toward political participation, particularly during the formulation of public policies.
2. To disseminate ideas, values, traditions, norms, and customs that enhance the “moral spirit” of local citizens, particularly concerning the concepts of “national security” and “national sovereignty.”
3. To highlight the appearance of false legitimacy within the nation-state, particularly through the existence of authoritarian systems.
4. To secure public support for political systems, whether authoritarian or democratic, either on a voluntary or compulsory basis.
5. To provide accurate information and data at all levels—national, regional, and international.
6. To spotlight various political issues and engage in extensive discussions on national, regional, and international levels.
7. To localize ideas, values, beliefs, and a specific political vision expressed by the concept of national identity.

Characteristics of Political Media Trends:

Most media studies confirm that political media, or what is known as “political communication,” has the following characteristics (Al-Saih, previously referenced, p. 65):

1. They are media trends based on elements of media production represented by (capital, organization, labor).
2. They are media trends that rely on actors who possess specific qualifications in terms of professional and cultural capabilities.
3. They are media trends characterized by a dual nature, being both cultural and political simultaneously.

Features of Political Media Trends:

1. They have an immense capacity to transmit ideas, information, data, and rumors rapidly across various “neighborhoods, regions, cities, countries, and the world.”
2. They offer a vast abundance of data and information sought by decision-makers (political, economic, social, military, security) and thinkers interested in public affairs within the nation-state.
3. They exhibit a high capability to raise public awareness regarding important issues at the “national, regional, and international” levels.
4. They serve as a means or tool in shaping or developing the phenomenon of public opinion.

Section Two: The Implications of Official Political Media Trends on the Concept of National Identity Within the Nation-State

The relationship between the trends of official political media and the concept of national identity is characterized by its complex and intertwined dimensions, as each affects the other with equal degrees of influence and power. This stems from the political truth that “media trends, whether official or unofficial, can influence the concept of national identity through two aspects. The first is the reinforcement of values, norms, customs, and traditions. The second is the provision and presentation of information and data to the citizens (“the public”) in order to shape public awareness. Furthermore, it helps determine the “needs” and “demands” that arise from the internal environment toward the political decision-maker, through which the necessary public policy framework can be renewed (size, shape)”.

It is essential to consider that the implications of political media trends on the concept of national identity manifest in the presence of specific issues that have contributed to shaping public opinion among (supporters, opponents, apathetic). This study will identify the key points that objectively reveal the actual implications of political media trends on the concept of national identity within the nation-state through the following fundamental points: (Salmi, previously cited, p. 78)

(A) The Existence of Ambiguous Local Issues:
The implications of political media on the concept of national identity within the contemporary nation-state have begun to manifest clearly through several ambiguous local, regional, and international issues that lack clear substance. This ambiguity is due to differing political perspectives adopted by many media channels—both “official and unofficial”—and their lack of consensus regarding the true dimensions of these local issues when presented to the target public, alongside the absence of a unified media-political-community vision concerning these issues posed to the local target audience. The failure of these media channels (official and unofficial) to create a unified political-media perspective has contributed to a notable lack of transparency and credibility in conveying these presented issues, whether concerning their “causes, motivations, or outcomes.” The seriousness of such a reality is evident in the creation of a distorted and “gelatinous” public opinion among individuals of the various political trends prevailing within the contemporary nation-state, which contributed to amplifying an “ethical” fragmentation of the concept of national identity on one hand, and to a near absence of the role of the existing political system on the other.

(B) The Weak Nature of Politically Themed Media Campaigns:
The issue of contemporary official political media in nation-states, especially in the Third World, lies in its inability to generate propaganda that can serve as a foundation (operationally and practically) for establishing national identity in a way that develops the phenomenon of national public opinion, making it capable of holding a strong (will, thought) politically in regard to the issues raised by political media trends. Instead, it has contributed to the fragmentation of national (will and political thought) due to several reasons as follows: (previous reference, p. 79)

• The absence of unity in national slogans: This means that the nature of official political media trends is unable to achieve consensus on the matter of national identity slogans, which are represented in simple words agreed upon with the target audience, effectively stemming from social-political requirements where dimensions of national identity coexist, similar to the following national slogans.
• The concept of media repetition in official political media trends is not anchored in several clear “field-based” ideas due to the multiplicity of channels (official and unofficial) with different “conflicting” political ideologies that support the competing political elites for power throughout the existence of the various executive governments within the contemporary nation-state.
• The weak method of political symbols has contributed to the absence of popular support, whether at the “individual, group, organization, institution, elite” levels.
• The absence of a claim of consensus in official political media trends has contributed to the loss of the possibility of realizing the principle of herd instinct that compels (individuals, groups, ruling elites) to submit to the political decision-maker, similar to what is seen in democratic societies.
• The emergence of methods that incite fanaticism and hatred toward others at the “regional, tribal, ideological, opportunistic” level, through which all existing political media trends within contemporary nation-states work to render the individual or group or elite perceive only “what should be” and not see “what should not be.” This distorts the ability to perceive political realities.
• The emergence of a negative persona that contributes to portraying a particular individual, often in a position (political, military, civilian), by showcasing their past shortcomings and considering them errors that reach the level of high treason, thereby harming the concept of national identity. (previous reference, p. 78)

(C) Loss of Societal Trust:
The existing relationship between political media trends and the concept of national identity within the contemporary nation-state suffers from an imbalance between the aspirations of the “individual, group, public,” especially concerning the political, economic, social, military, and security visions that need to be achieved within the nation-state. Additionally, other proposed issues arise, such as consensus on the constitution and the matter of conducting elections. This includes achieving public policies that serve Libyan citizens by providing “goods, services” and achieving a state of welfare and a degree of unity among sovereign institutions in a manner that protects the concepts of national security and sovereignty. It also enhances the concept of national interest and creates an initial foundation for the concept of political consensus, while sidelining other political issues.

Furthermore, it should be emphasized that official political media suffer from other serious issues that contribute to its struggle with “authoritarian” traditionalism and weak functional performance in achieving better media communication concerning the concept of national identity. This is evident in four basic phases as highlighted: (Al-Eisawi, 2021, p. 55)

1. The first phase reflects the dissatisfaction of the local public opinion regarding the outputs of the legislative and executive authorities, especially concerning public policies.
2. The second phase involves a state of collision between the existing political trends within the contemporary nation-state, leading to a lack of interest among citizens, particularly regarding issues relating to the concept of national identity, such as the right to political participation and participation during elections.
3. The third phase illustrates a state of rebellion and non-submission to the ruler due to the fragmentation of the concept of national identity and the conviction of individuals within the nation-state that all political institutions have lost their legitimacy to continue clinging to political power, considering them to be authorities lacking political legitimacy of which they are the original holders.
4. The fourth phase is characterized by claims of governance by the national public opinion phenomenon that expresses the concept of unified national identity. This phase is where the rules of public opinion prevail within the nation-state.

In this context, it can be stated that the current trends of official political media have been addressed by media-political studies that demonstrate the weakness of the influence of official political media trends in developing both the concept of national identity and the phenomenon of public opinion. This can be identified through the existence of two types of the impact of official political media trends on the phenomenon of public opinion, which can be specified as follows: (previous reference, p. 98)

The First Type – Weak Cultural-Knowledge Impact:
Official political media trends concerning the concept of national identity and citizenship suffer from a weak mutual influence. This has contributed to lowering the levels of awareness regarding “cultural, knowledge” pertaining to national identity, as they represent the primary source of obtaining authentic national identity and the information, ideas, data, and statistics regarding specific political issues that may have “direct or indirect” effects on the concept of national identity on one side or threaten the extinction of the concept of citizenship within the nation-state on the other.

The Second Type – Weak Emotional-Biased Impact:
Official political media trends suffer from weak development of the concept of national identity, which has contributed to a decrease in the levels of concern among (individuals, groups, the public) regarding various political issues (inside, outside) the sovereign boundaries of the nation-state. This has resulted in all targeted social levels being incapable, in an optimal manner, of obtaining the “information, data” that would assist them in interpreting, analyzing, predicting, and evaluating the various political issues proposed, aiming to achieve a theoretical framework through which those social levels can understand the reality of the national issue at hand in terms of (dimensions, risks), especially those influencing the concept of national identity and the right of citizenship.

The Third Type – Weak Actual Behavioral Impact:
This means there is a state of weakness in the influence of official political media trends regarding both the concept of national identity and the concept of citizenship. It should be noted that this state of weakness appears in many local cases that vary from one transitional government to another for several reasons, which can be outlined as follows:

• The difference in the nature of the issues presented to individuals of the local public opinion phenomenon.
• The difference in levels of “national” cohesion regarding the concept of national identity.
• The existence of constitutional institutions that help demonstrate the dynamism of both the concept of national identity and the local public opinion phenomenon regarding various proposed issues.

It is important to note that the weakness in the impact of official political media trends on the concept of national identity is clearly evident in other studies of official political media that concern the (influence, being influenced) between the three parties as can be defined as follows: (Al-Jilani, previously cited, p. 76)

1. Official political media trends present issues, whether “national or political,” in a complex and difficult language that most individuals of the local public opinion phenomenon cannot understand, as it does not consider the factor of existing “scientific and cultural” differences among them.
2. Official political media trends suffer from the problem of “losing unified content presentation,” which leads to an issue known as “monotony,” and thus, they fail to diversify the media content that encourages the targeted audience to engage with media trends, whether of (national, political, military) orientation.
3. Official political media trends suffer from a problem known as “lack of quality and innovation,” meaning they suffer from a “stereotypical” state based on routine, resulting in a lack of tangible interaction and mutual influence between political media trends and the concept of national identity.
4. Official political media trends suffer from the problem of “weak interactive content” since they focus on disseminating biased news in favor of one of the ruling executive authorities only. This has contributed to the infiltration of the problem of weak mutual interaction and the emergence of weak content production using modern innovative methods that engage the other side and treat it with a degree of media professionalism.

Section Three: New Requirements for the Relational Context Between Official Political Media Trends and the Concept of National Identity Within the Contemporary Nation-State

Most studies on official political media, especially those that focus on the relational ties between political media trends, the concept of national identity, public opinion, and citizenship, indicate a crucial need to transition from the state of “traditional” political media to “modern” political media. This is because technological development and the international information network (“the internet”) have become significant challenges to the evolution of pure media in general and official political media specifically. Particularly during the achievement of “integration and merging” between traditional and modern media on one hand, and enhancing the degrees of relational ties between political media and the phenomenon of public opinion on the other. Achieving such relationships requires fulfilling a set of new media requirements through which actual balance can be achieved both scientifically and practically between the two parties (Al-Ghaithi, 2023, p. 23).

This study will illustrate such new requirements as follows:

First – Scientific Requirements

1. Work on utilizing the existing developments in social media, emails, and other media outlets, especially when discussing issues that can be addressed, defining both the “roles and responsibilities” assigned to various media outlets, particularly the official ones, regarding the concept of national identity.
2. Employ media content (“media substance”) in an evolved manner, ensuring that political media trends are characterized by diversity, particularly through the use of multiple media outlets to enhance the cultural level of both “national identity and citizenship.”
3. Leverage modern technologies; that is, political media (traditional) should adopt new media technologies such as applications and new technological tools to achieve three main goals. The first goal is to develop the concept of national identity in alignment with the “national, regional, and international” changes faced by the nation-state. The second goal is to raise the level of public awareness among individuals of the local public opinion phenomenon regarding those changes (internal, regional, international). The third goal is to provide a unique media experience capable of achieving the successful dissemination of political media trends both inside and outside the contemporary nation-state, particularly against opposing media campaigns.

Second – Practical Requirements

1. Enhance the role of interaction and political participation aimed at developing the concept of national identity and encouraging individuals of the public opinion phenomenon to engage and interact with the media content presented by various media outlets, whether at the internal, regional, or international levels.
2. Strengthen the coordination and collaboration in media-political work. This means achieving cooperation and coordination between political media outlets, whether “traditional or modern,” in various media fields, such as:
   • News coverage.
   • “Audiovisual, radio” programs. This aims to create joint working teams that help develop the concept of national identity by promoting values, customs, and traditions that align with the idea of a unified nation-state and facilitating the exchange of “ideas, information, data” on various political issues to create public support for the official political media trends of the contemporary nation-state.
3. Promote the idea of focusing on the targeted audience through:
   • Researching the priorities of “needs and demands” necessary for developing the concepts of national identity and citizenship to achieve political stability.
   • Providing media content that meets the cognitive values of the concept of national identity and the needs of individuals of the public opinion phenomenon in analyzing “information, data,” aiming to present media content that aligns with all that.
4. Utilize individual capabilities; this means that the political media decision-maker should capitalize on the available capabilities of both “traditional and modern political media,” including:
   • Print and broadcast (audiovisual and auditory) publishing and the internet.
   • New applications, whether “technological or technical,” present in the field of political media.
5. Achieve continuity in ongoing professional learning – this means that there should be a commitment to continuous professional education in broadcasting, while keeping up with the potential changes in the process of political media production, especially official media, to achieve organized updates concerning both “skills, experiences, techniques used.” (previous reference, p. 87).

It is crucial to take into account that among the new requirements necessary for the relational context between official political media trends and the concept of national identity is the development and growth of social, political media efforts that the nation-state must genuinely pursue to present a new media vision that aids in “developing and unifying” official political media trends and raising the level of media culture by paving the way for comprehensive unified “political” media trends working to achieve several media goals (social, political), the most important of which is to “localize and develop” the state of national identity, leading to political stability within the nation-state, which in turn establishes the following political media foundations:

• The need to work on expanding the principle of freedom of opinion and alternative viewpoints regarding various national issues related to the concepts of national identity and citizenship.
• The need to work on broadening general understanding to develop the concept of national identity and citizenship, particularly in line with the social and political changes threatening national security.
• The need to work on expanding the role of official political media at the “national, regional, and international” levels to convey the requirements of the concept of national identity concerning the “national, regional, and international” issues that contribute to fragmentation and the need to eliminate them entirely.
• The need to identify the best practices and solutions to the challenges facing the various official political media to ensure easy access to information or data by individuals of the local public opinion phenomenon regarding general issues, especially those related to national identity, particularly concerning the security and stability of the nation-state.
• The need to encourage media and journalistic activists towards fostering community engagement with official political media trends, especially on issues that have a direct impact on the concepts of national identity and citizenship.
• The need to enhance job satisfaction among the workers in all national media institutions, especially official ones, concerning the “programs, plans, policies, technology, techniques” from which the trends of official political media emerge to ensure the success of various media campaigns aimed at developing the concept of national identity.

Conclusion

Official political media trends directly influence the concepts of national identity and citizenship, whether positively or negatively. This influence has resulted in the presence of manifestations with political, economic, social, security, and military dimensions that vary in impact and effect on the concept of national identity. It has led to the loss of the understanding of prudent political media which, in turn, affected the diminished levels of both “efficiency and performance” of most media outlets that reflected critically on the value of media content. Thus, the relationship between the two parties suffers from cases of (interference and complexity) regarding the nature of political media trends on one side and the weak application of rules, procedures, standards, and determinants on the other. Such political media realities have necessitated the need to work on expanding general understanding towards achieving clear development of the concept of national identity on one hand and creating comprehensive media awareness among individuals of the local public opinion phenomenon on the other. Additionally, there is a need to expand the role of official political media at both the (national, regional, and international) levels by identifying the best practices, methods, and solutions to the challenges faced by various official political media in order to facilitate the easy access to information or data, which in turn enhances the relational ties between official political media trends and the concept of national identity within the nation-state.

Study Results

This study has reached several scientific findings that can be summarized as follows:

1. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the absence of a clear ability to achieve the development of the concepts of national identity and citizenship within the contemporary nation-state.
2. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the emergence of the issue of media imbalance with the aspirations of (individuals, groups, the public), particularly in a unified political vision capable of achieving several national principles, the most important being:
   • The principle of developing national identity.
   • The principle of national interest.
   • The principle of safeguarding the national security and sovereignty of the nation-state.
3. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to presenting various political issues in complex and difficult language with a biased nature that does not serve the concept of national identity and citizenship, rendering it incomprehensible to most individuals of the public opinion phenomenon.
4. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the emergence of the issue of the lack of unified media content presentation regarding “substance, vision, goal” necessary for the development of the concept of national identity and the enhancement of the concept of citizenship that need to be communicated to individuals of the public opinion phenomenon to enhance the opportunities for successful political stability within the nation-state.
5. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the emergence of the problem of lack of quality and innovation. This means the prevalence of a (stereotypical) appearance based on constant routine that does not serve the requirements of the concept of national identity or promote the concept of citizenship within the nation-state.
6. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the emergence of the problem of almost nonexistent interactive content, focusing primarily on disseminating politically biased news directed toward one political actor at the expense of other political actors.
7. The weakness of official political media trends has contributed to the emergence of the problem of weakness in achieving (integration and merging) between traditional and modern media, which has reflected negatively on strengthening the relationship between official political media trends and the nature of national identity and the concept of citizenship within the nation-state.

Recommendations

Based on the above, several recommendations can be made to help provide objective solutions that assist the official media decision-maker in avoiding the existing problems in the relational context between official political media trends regarding the concepts of national identity and citizenship within the nation-state.

(A) There is a necessity to enhance the role of interaction and participation between official political media trends and the concepts of national identity and citizenship within the nation-state.

(B) It is essential to present media content that meets the “needs and demands” of the concept of national identity, helping to promote the concept of citizenship and the right to self-determination, expressing opinions, and freedom of expression, as well as analyzing “information and data” to provide media content that aligns with the understanding of the nature of national identity and citizenship and their positions on different (national, regional, international) issues.

(C) It is vital to expand the concept of national identity to achieve optimal development of the concepts of national identity and citizenship, especially as preparation for the principle of political participation leads to political stability.

(D) It is crucial to expand the role of official political media at the “national, regional, and international” levels to enhance communication with external political media and to strengthen the role of national identity and the concept of citizenship as they are essential determinants in the strength of the nation-state.

(E) There is a necessity to ensure continuity in ongoing professional media education to achieve systematic updates in “skills, experiences, technology, techniques” employed in all media outlets that can help the concepts of national identity and citizenship to generate an objective understanding of various national issues whether concerning “national, regional, and international” affairs.

Notes

1. Mohammed Al-Hussein Al-Shezari, Public Opinion and Media, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Ulum for Investigation and Culture, 2006, p. 28.
2. Omar Khalil Al-Salmi, A Reading on Maghreb Political Media, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Manara Al-Ilmiyah for Publishing and Printing, 2023, p. 54.
3. Ibid., p. 55.
4. Tawfiq Omran Al-Jilani, Political Media and Political Systems, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Mansoura Scientific Library for Publishing, 2019, p. 13.
5. Anwar Saeed Al-Hussein, A Reading in Political Communication: Components and Functions, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Al-Dar Al-Arabiyya for Publishing and Printing, 2018, p. 41.
6. Al-Jilani, previously cited reference, p. 48.
7. Mohammed Al-Baz Wardi, Political Behavior and Public Opinion, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Ibn Al-Nafis for Publishing and Distribution, 2018, p. 18.
8. Basyouni Ibrahim Hamada, Studies in Media, Communication Technology, and Public Opinion, 2nd ed., Cairo, (no publisher), 2018, p. 65.
9. Ibid., p. 66.
10. Al-Salmi, previously cited reference, p. 77.
11. Ibid., p. 78.
12. Issa Anwar Al-Saidi, The Reality of Political Media in Developing Countries, 2nd ed., Cairo, Publications of the University Library for Publishing, Distribution, and Printing, 2022, p. 34.
13. Ibid., p. 35.
14. Al-Jilani, previously cited reference, p. 87.
15. Suleiman Ahmed Al-Ghaithi, The Implications of Political Media on the Process of Political Participation, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Bayan Al-Ilmi for Publishing and Distribution, 2022, p. 43.

Bibliography

Books

1. Al-Baz Wardi, Mohammed, Political Media and Public Opinion, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Ibn Al-Nafis for Publishing and Distribution, 2018.
2. Al-Jilani, Tawfiq Omran, Political Media and Political Systems, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Mansoura Scientific Library for Publishing, 2019.
3. Al-Hussein, Anwar Saeed, A Reading in Political Communication: Components and Functions, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Al-Dar Al-Arabiyya for Publishing and Printing, 2018.
4. Al-Shezari, Mohammed Al-Hussein, Political Media and National Identity: Reality and Aspirations, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Ulum for Investigation and Culture, 2006.
5. Al-Salmi, Omar Khalil, A Reading on Maghreb Political Media, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Manara Al-Ilmiyah for Publishing and Printing, 2023.
6. Al-Saidi, Issa Anwar, The Reality of Political Media in the Third World Countries, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of the University Library for Publishing, Distribution, and Printing, 2022.
7. Al-Ghaithi, Suleiman Ahmed, The Reality of Political Media on the Concept of National Identity, 1st ed., Cairo, Publications of Dar Al-Bayan Al-Ilmi for Publishing and Distribution, 2022.