This study examines the use of local and Arab news websites among young adults in Bahrain. It identifies the patterns of use, the reasons of choices, and the factors that influence these choices and highlights the potential difficulties, if any, preventing users from finding gratifications in their news practices. A survey was administered to a random sample of 522 Bahraini young adults aged 18 to 29 years to achieve the objectives of the study. The study found that online news consumption by young adults in Bahrain is on the increase, is accessed in particular by the mobile phone at all times and in all places, however, only a short time is allocated for this use, and is focused more on local news. The study also showed that young Bahrainis have become active users, relying on multiple patterns of use, and that their activity is not confined to reading the news but have a feeling of belonging to a community of users (Breton & Proulx, 2002). They also engage in parallel interactive activities that support their position through employing Internet technology from the perspective of uses and gratifications theory (Ruggiero, 2000).

The growth and expansion of the Internet has enabled many people to communicate and engage in different manners and it is easier than ever now to obtain news and information content via different online sittings. However, concerns grow about the effects of misinformation that has been circulated via different online media sites to influence public views. This research was aimed at exploring online academic news users' behaviour and their attitudes towards news information given by Al-Jazeera.net during the Egyptian transformation (2013-2014) in Egypt. Based on an online survey (450 users) and focusgroup interviews (six respondents) with Egyptian academics, the research discussed whether users were aware of the media interest or agenda and how users became informed about the political conflict and the transformation, their perceptions of news sites and their evaluation of information regarding this period. The research confirmed that every media has its own interest or agenda when delivering news content, which might favour one side over another. Users indicated that misinformation was found in different forms and, although others underlined the importance of freely accessing online content, there was concern about the spread of misinformation the morality and credibility of online news.

This paper seeks to present the most important results of a field study on the role of using the Internet in enhancing the journalistic assignments in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in accelerating the production and dissemination of news, and in creating new opportunities for communication and interaction with the public. The study also examines Bahraini journalists' perceptions of the changes in their journalistic practice and the positive and negative effects of the Internet on the journalist's job. In addition, the study examines the possible changes that the Internet makes in relation to the values and ethics of the press. The results showed that the use of the Internet in the press had a positive impact on journalistic practice. Bahraini journalists tend to adopt and use it in their day-to-day work, although they are cautious about the unreliability of news and information on the Internet, their awareness of increased accountability before the public, and their belief in the negative role that the Internet can play in sacrificing accuracy for speed.

The adoption and use of social media has played a major role in the changes in journalists' work. The use of these new means has become indispensable to the daily tasks and work of journalists in most news organizations. It is no longer possible to bypass these means when it comes to searching for information and news, or in production, publishing, distribution and marketing, or even in interaction with the public. The characteristics of ease, speed, immediacy, interactivity, and being free of charge that characterize them, have made them a useful technological tool, which is influential and necessary not only for the future of the journalist's career but also for the future of the news organization itself. With the growing number of users of social media around the world, journalists and news organizations have found additional access, more important than previous channels, to access additional sources that help them market and interact with their work in a new dynamic environment completely different from previous communication models, and put audience activity at the forefront. In this study, which is part of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the author tries to understand and analyze the factors of adoption and use of social media as a new technological tool by Bahraini journalists and to identify their new role in the changes in journalism. In addition, the study attempts to examine the implications in relation to the future of the press profession and the economic model of the news organization. The results showed a clear adoption and an increased use of social media by journalists, who consider it a key element in the development of journalism, and an inevitable strategic choice for the future of the news organization. They also expressed their full awareness of the problems surrounding the issue of precision and credibility of news accessed through social media.