Manipulation of TV Talk Strategies as Awareness of Drug Risks on Iraqi Satellite Channels: An Analytical Study of The Hikayatihim Show on Al-Iraqiya TV

Abstract

This paper aims to identify how Al-Iraqiya TV employs TV talk strategies in educating the public about drug risks by quantitatively analyzing 30 randomly selected episodes of Hikayatihim (Their Tales), a TV talk show broadcast on Al-Iraqiya in terms of form and content for nine consecutive months. To this end, the study adopted a descriptive survey method as a research design. The study finds that this TV show mostly hosted guests who are males, most of whom experienced school dropouts and are aged 12 to 18 years. Additionally, this show used the Iraqi Arabic more than Standard Arabic so as to establish dialogue and conversation. Moreover, the show revealed the reasons for drug addiction based on the guests' remarks shared on that show. Most drug addiction reasons are social, including bad friends and family disintegration. As for the grooming used, the TV show highlighted emotional grooming. In terms of TV talk strategies, personal dialogue was highly used as a dialogic form on that show. Finally, public opinion orientation has been found to be the key dialogic function used on that show. As most drug addicts hosted by that show stated that they became addictive to drugs at the beginning, unaware of what they just took, let not the parents' unknowing of how the risks of drugs spread in the society.