On Women’s Sports in the Iraqi News Agency: Director of the Media and Government Communication Department Earns Master’s Degree with High Distinction
Mr. Omar Sajid Hassan, Director of the Media and Government Communication Department at the Presidency of Samarra University, defended his master’s thesis, titled “The News Coverage of Women’s Sports in Iraq on the Iraqi News Agency (INA) Website,” which he presented to the College of Media at Jinan University on Saturday, October 26, 2024.
Sajid received a high “Very Good” grade after the committee thoroughly discussed the chapters of his thesis, especially since it is among the first studies to address women’s sports topics in Iraqi online journalism.
The research aims to examine the content related to women’s sports published by the Iraqi News Agency on its official website, identifying key sports topics covered and the methods used in presenting these subjects. It also explores the news sources relied upon by the agency in gathering information on Iraqi women’s sports, as well as distinguishing the types of sports—whether individual or team sports—reported by INA in a journalistic manner on its website. The study seeks to identify the key approaches and techniques used in media coverage of women’s sports in Iraq.
The thesis revealed that sports participation by women in various activities made up 40% of the sample material on the INA website, followed by content on club achievements in various games and athletes’ skills. Futsal gained significant attention, comprising 35% of the sports news coverage—an impressive percentage compared to field and track sports, which ranked second with 13%.
The analytical study also found that 65% of the coverage methods INA used in reporting on women’s sports topics were objective. The journalistic style most frequently used was straight news reporting, with 80% of the content presented in this format. Furthermore, the study noted that women have entered new sports traditionally considered male-dominated, such as bodybuilding, weightlifting, judo, Kyokushin karate, boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai, along with less popularized sports like archery, equestrian, shooting (air pistol), and baseball.
The staff of the Media and Government Communication Department at the university presidency congratulates their director on this achievement, extending their well-wishes on behalf of all university staff, hoping this degree marks the beginning of further valuable academic pursuits in his respected research career.
