Levels of Interest of Arab Newspaper Websites in Arab-American Relations during Trump’s Second Term: An Analytical Study

Abstract

This study aims to examine the levels of attention devoted by Arab newspaper websites to Arab–U.S. relations through a comparative content analysis of the websites of the Iraqi Azzaman, the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat, and the Qatari Al-Sharq newspapers, covering the period from 1 May to 31 October 2025. The study is descriptive in nature and employs content analysis using a comprehensive census of all relevant journalistic materials published on the sampled websites. Guided by Agenda-Setting Theory, the study analyzed 619 journalistic items. The findings reveal that political relations received the highest level of attention across the three websites, followed by security and economic relations, whereas humanitarian, cultural, scientific, and technological relations received comparatively lower levels of attention. The results also indicate differences among the sampled websites in prioritizing the topics of Arab–U.S. relations, highlighting key actors and personalities, and relying on information sources. The study concludes that although the three websites shared a common emphasis on political relations, they differed in their prioritization of the remaining topics related to Arab–U.S. relations.