This study examined how Saudi Arabian women were depicted in two cross-cultural media messages, "Death of a Princess" and "Saudi Women Behind the Veil." The first production, aired on PBS on May 12, 1980, was accused of misrepresenting the Saudi/Islamic culture. In contrast, the second production, aired on ABC's wekly news magazine "20/20" on August 19, 1982, did not prompt the same vehement objections from the Arab/Muslim community. By comparing the message characteristics in each production, this study examined one small aspect of the international communication process--stereotyping. The rhetorical analysis conducted in this study answered the following questions: (1) What external and internal evidence of the producer's intentions was apparent? (2) What implicit values did the verbal and visual images invite an American audience to share? The rhetorical methodology employed in this study examined the two artifacts from the perspective of both an intentionalist critic and a social critic. The messages were analyzed in terms of their effectiveness in achieving the producer's intentions and also in terms of the likely audience response to the implied values. The analysis indicated that the producer's perspective is a significant determinant influencing the impact on the audience of the cultural values presented. The study illustrated that different cultural values must be explicitly recognized when introducing one culture to another. This recognition of implicit cultural differences is a necessary precondition for successfully presenting one different culture to another. The study concluded by indicating the importance of message analysis in international communication research. The qualitative techniques of message analysis provide the basis for Third World nations to justify their concerns about the misrepresentation of their culture in the Western mass media system.
