The Semiotics of Image Use in Libyan Column Articles

Abstract

This study, titled “The Semiotics of Image Employment in the Press Column in Libyan Journalism,” aimed to identify the visual patterns and connotative meanings of images accompanying opinion articles. The research problem was based on a main question concerning how the image contributes to constructing meaning alongside the written text in light of the transformations taking place in Libyan journalism.

The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach and used the semiotic analysis tool, based on Roland Barthes’ model, to analyze a purposive sample of articles published in a number of Libyan newspapers, namely Al-Sabah Newspaper, Al-Wasat Gateway, and Al-Anbaa Al-Libya Newspaper, during the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter of 2026.

The study reached several key findings, the most important of which are:

1. The study showed, through the articles “Al-Merkanti” and “Momentary Salary, But When?”, that image and word in Libyan journalism have come to focus on deconstructing bureaucracy and economic dependency, as the image has shifted from being a mere illustrative element to a tool for exposing administrative and economic realities.
2. The study revealed, through the article “Bahbah,” that there is a strong journalistic tendency to criticize the culture of consumption and luck, as symbolic images were used to redirect the awareness of the Libyan reader toward a value-based economy rather than an economy based on chance.
3. The results of the study, through the analysis of the articles “Al-Faitouri” and “National Dress,” showed that the Libyan journalist employs traditional visual signs as a shield to protect Libyan cultural specificity, making the press column a defensive wall against the distortion of identity.