Droves turning to Al Jazeera for news

[JBeukema]

WASHINGTON - Canadian television viewers looking for the most thorough and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypt have the option of tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage of the turmoil is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile, have little choice but to wait until one of the U.S. cable-company-approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE, which the company makes publicly available. What they can't do is watch the network directly.
Other than in a handful of pockets across the U.S. - including Ohio, Vermont and Washington, D.C. - cable carriers do not give viewers the choice of watching Al Jazeera. That corporate censorship comes as American diplomats harshly criticize the Egyptian government for blocking Internet communication inside the country and as Egypt attempts to block Al Jazeera from broadcasting.
The result of the Al Jazeera English blackout in the United States has been a surge in traffic to the media outlet's website, where footage can be seen streaming live. The last 24 hours have seen a two-and-a-half thousand percent increase in web traffic, Tony Burman, head of North American strategies for Al Jazeera English, told HuffPost. Sixty percent of that traffic, he said, has come from the United States.

Al Jazeera English Blacked Out Across Most Of U.S.

 

[goldcatt]

AJE is streaming coverage live online, but it's overloaded and not always running for me.

There are important things happening in the Arab world, I realize AJ's reputation as anti-Western but for coverage of what's happening on the Arab street surely it can't be so subversive American adults shouldn't be allowed the choice to watch it?

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Al Jazeera is not anti-western, it's just more objective and doesn't automatically defer to western interests. There is a difference. I read it online when I want in-depth reporting in that area.

 

[Annie]

Al Jazeera hadn't any problem staying on the air Thurs, Friday, Saturday-until the government called in the credentials in evening. It was reported by Al Jazeera and they went off air for many hours. Came up late this morning, early afternoon, CST. The video feed is still not where it was, but live blogging is fine, at least so far.

Its coverage of this crisis has been unequaled anywhere else that I've seen.

 

[The T]

Droves...eh?

Why rely on them? For what exactly?

SPIN?

 

[rdean]

Al Jazeera is not anti-western, it's just more objective and doesn't automatically defer to western interests. There is a difference. I read it online when I want in-depth reporting in that area.

Australian and Saudi Arabian owned Fox news is "anti American".

 

[Muhammed]

Al Jazeera is not anti-western, it's just more objective and doesn't automatically defer to western interests. .

Do you have pro-western interests? Or anti-western interests.

Most likely you are just another weak-ass commie piece of shit leech...IMHO.

Suck me you asslicking leftist fool.

 

[goldcatt]

Al Jazeera hadn't any problem staying on the air Thurs, Friday, Saturday-until the government called in the credentials in evening. It was reported by Al Jazeera and they went off air for many hours. Came up late this morning, early afternoon, CST. The video feed is still not where it was, but live blogging is fine, at least so far.

It's coverage of this crisis has been unequaled anywhere else that I've seen.

From what I've seen so far, I agree. And I'd like to have the choice to receive the network, to watch or not watch as I see fit.

They certainly know the Arab street.

 

[uscitizen]

I catch parts of AJ on LInk TV Mosaic sometimes. Give facts and a perspective we will never see on regular US media. BBC is the closest but still tainted.

 

[Annie]

Al Jazeera hadn't any problem staying on the air Thurs, Friday, Saturday-until the government called in the credentials in evening. It was reported by Al Jazeera and they went off air for many hours. Came up late this morning, early afternoon, CST. The video feed is still not where it was, but live blogging is fine, at least so far.

It's coverage of this crisis has been unequaled anywhere else that I've seen.

From what I've seen so far, I agree. And I'd like to have the choice to receive the network, to watch or not watch as I see fit.

They certainly know the Arab street.

They have live streaming:

Al Jazeera English: Live Stream - Watch Now - Al Jazeera English

Blog, link changes daily:

Live blog 31/1 - Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs

 

[Annie]

After listening for a bit to the streaming, seems they are still uncredentialed in Egypt, so they are not naming the reporters.

Like so many Egyptian bloggers and others, they must be using dial up or other methods to circumvent the blocks put up by the government.

 

[goldcatt]

After listening for a bit to the streaming, seems they are still uncredentialed in Egypt, so they are not naming the reporters.

Like so many Egyptian bloggers and others, they must be using dial up or other methods to circumvent the blocks put up by the government.

Maybe that's why I've been having trouble with the site. It was acting like it was overloaded for me, but it might be the way they're sneaking it out.