Abstract
This research deals with the study of the extent of the Iraqi public’s dependence on satellite channels in forming their knowledge about the political leaders who took power after 2003, and understanding the nature of this dependence and the cognitive effects achieved about it. The Iraqi public on satellite channels as a source of information about political leaders, and determining the level of its confidence in the credibility of satellite channels in forming its knowledge about these leaders, as well as knowing the motives and objectives of the public’s dependence on satellite channels as a source of information about political leaders. This study belongs to descriptive research, using the field survey as its method, and the questionnaire is a main tool for collecting information, in addition to scientific observation as well as statistical methods. The researcher distributed (510) questionnaires to a sample from the province of Baghdad, which were cut off using a multi-stage random cluster sampling method, then intentional. The most prominent results of the study were as follows: (1) The Iraqi public relies mainly on (satellite channels) to form its knowledge and attitudes towards political leaders, as it obtained a percentage of (61.7%) among other sources of information. (2) Cognitive motives and goals of understanding and guidance are the most prominent goals and motives for relying on satellite channels as a source of information on political issues and the affairs of their leaders. (3) The category (medium level of confidence) topped the levels of confidence of the sample members in satellite channels as a source of information about political leaders, with a number of answers amounting to (322) and a percentage of (69.2%), while the category (high level of confidence) came in second place with a frequency of (68) and at a rate of (14.6%).