al-Jazeera English – An Unofficial Weblog

The Denver Post yesterday had an interesting article on how al-Jazeera English defies stereotyping. While the network is not available in the U.S., a journalist at the Denver Post was able to watch al-Jazeera English online and has this to say about it:

“From the way it has been depicted in the U.S., you’d think Al-Jazeera TV was a nonstop transmission of beheadings and Osama Bin Laden missives operating from the darkest caves of the Middle East.”

However, it “offers more meat than the round-the-clock news operations in the U.S., probably because of its global outlook. For example, its ‘world exclusive,’when I tuned in, was the first interview with the newly re-elected president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, whose election had at that point eluded the notice of CNN.”

Because of its affiliation with the Arabic-language news network al-Jazeera, the new network has to convince potential viewers that it is offering a more balanced view of the news than other companies such as CNN. Al-Jazeera suffers from a reputation of showing videos of hostage beheadings. However, studies of the network have shown that such videos never aired (these studies are reported in several balanced books on al-Jazeera). While the burden of proof should lie with the accuser, it does not seem to be of importance for the conservatives pundits who confuse dissent and patriotism.

With an estimated available audience of 80 million viewers from day one, Al-Jazeera English is set to compete against big names in international news such as CNN or the BBC. However, the U.S. market will not get to see the channel for at least a year.

Gulf News writes: “Many US viewers wrote to us expressing interest in Al Jazeera English, but we are not yet available on cable there,” said Lindsey Oliver, commercial director of Al Jazeera International, denying that the delay in finding a cable provider may be due to political reasons.

The delay is not due to political reasons? Hard to believe when Al-Jazeera has been accused by almost every member of the current U.S. administration as being a tool of propaganda for terrorists and anti-Americans groups. Is it hard to believe that cable providers are just reluctant to broadcast a network that is labeled as being a mouthpiece for America’s enemy in its war of terror?

In 2003, the New York Stock Exchange “withdrew credentials from the two Al-Jazeera journalists who had worked there since the channel’s inception in 1996,” writes Hugh Miles in his book Al-Jazeera – How Arab TV News Challenged the World. “Initially the NYSE said their sudden expulsion, which came without warning or any kind of notification, was part of an attempt to make space on the crowded floor, but no other journalists were expelled.”

Lindsey Oliver is even contradicted by her own colleagues, and rightly so. Dave Marash, Al-Jazeera English’s Washington correspondent was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer ahead of the network’s launch. Marash “is disappointed that the Qatar-based news network – scheduled to launch today – will reach more than 80 million homes worldwide, but none on U.S. cable.”

He goes on to say that “it would be naive to think that politics had nothing to do with it [...] On its face, it’s curious that we’ll be on cable and satellite systems everywhere outside the Western hemisphere, and our weakest coverage will be in North America. There’s some kind of a political disconnect there.”

For Americans wishing to see for themselves what Al-Jazeera English is all about, the only solution is the network’s website. A live feed is available online.