Why al Jeezra Has Been So Anti-American

[Annie]

interesting tidbits here. What I find interesting is that some of the 'unhappy' staffers might be swinging to BBC, like that's any different?

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/005882.shtml#005882

embedded links to al Jeezra:

July 06, 2004
Al-Jazeera Notes
I know, you're supposed to provide links when blogging, but here are two items on Al-Jazeera that I thought might be moderately interesting, and that I've gotten either through emails or conversation. The first is not too serious, but somewhat revealing. This from a missive sent by someone at the TV station who described his recent visit to Baghdad, in this case to the U.S.-controlled "green zone":

"An interesting place, full of US soldiers in desert camouflage, strolling around with large guns dangling from their shoulders, Iraqi administrative staff (or as we call them back in Doha, collaborators) [emphasis added] and journalists, local and foreign."

The second comes from a very well informed Lebanese journalist, who tells me that Al-Jazeera has recently fallen under the editorial control of those in the Qatari royal family close to the Muslim Brotherhood, hence its harsh anti-American line. He also added, as an exotic twist, that the station has "received advertising revenues from the former occupation authority in Iraq, despite the protests of the former Iraqi Governing Council."

For the record, Qatari mosques also subscribe to the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. For the record, too, a number of Al-Jazeera employees are seriously considering joining the new BBC Arabic-language television station. Recall that Al-Jazeera initially hired the employees left out in the cold when the BBC Arabic radio service closed won.


Posted by Michael Young at July 6, 2004 02:48 PM

 

[nycflasher]

what's al Jeezra?:

 

[insein]

Originally posted by nycflasher
what's al Jeezra?:

Its the CNN of the Arab World.:

 

[NATO AIR]

well the past few months BBC has been getting much better, so hopefully the new Arab network the BBC launches soon will kick Al-Jazeera's butt in the ratings... ya never know though.

 

[Annie]

Originally posted by NATO AIR
well the past few months BBC has been getting much better, so hopefully the new Arab network the BBC launches soon will kick Al-Jazeera's butt in the ratings... ya never know though.

Sorry, lol, but give some examples? Please...

 

[NATO AIR]

well what kind of examples are you looking for?



their darfur coverage has been fair to the US, not incendiary (sp?)

their coverage of US options and actions with N. Korea & Israel hasn't been bad either...

 

[Comrade]

Wasn't Al-Jazeera arleady being a shit during the lead up to Iraq war? And during the war they could have not possibly have been surprised by the US overthrow of Saddam's regime when it happened, but their entire viewership was. I remember specificially the day when this realization was met with disbelief by Al-Jazeera's viewers, which only means the network was forcefeeding Baghdad Bob and downplaying the US point of view.

I'd like to know the story behind the US bombing of their office in Baghdad.

 

[rjw8652]

Nato Air,

Sorry, but I see no evidence whatsoever that the BBC has suddenly become "fair" in its reporting of the US.

It is still a viper's nest of hatred against US interests - even after the Hutton enquiry.

The BBC hierarchy is in soul-searching mode right now, but unfortunately that doesn't extend to it ensuring objectivity and even handedness in its reporting. Its concern is simply to see how far it can distance itself from the UK Govt. in terms of policy - as if that defines objectivity and independence! Never mind that its "independence: is positioned far to the left of the ruling Labour Party!

The BBC needs to be scrapped.

John

 

[menewa]

Al Jazeera is a brave news force. They are despised much more by Middle Eastern despots than they are by us here in the wilderness of the West.

They continally take Muslim nations to task for what they perceive as injustices as much as they analyze and critique US policies. They've been shut down in numerous Muslim nations.

Point is, they go after everybody, they don't just pick on American policy. They really risk their lives reporting on some of the issues in the Middle East and I think they deserve respect for going places that no one else can or will.