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The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.

BRAVO, BURLINGTON: A SMALL VICTORY FOR AL-JAZEERA ENGLISH, A SYMBOLIC VICTORY FOR THE UNITED STATES
JUN 27, 2008 - 2:14PM PDT
Posted by Shawn Powers
All posts by this author

It is about time that the Al-Jazeera Network received some good news from America. Having been accused by the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld of inciting terrorism and assisting Iraqi insurgents, and then allegedly considered as a potential target of a U.S.-led military strike, Al-Jazeera has not exactly felt welcome here in the United States since the beginning of the war in Iraq. When Americans hear the words "Al-Jazeera", many immediately associate it with Osama bin Laden, the world's most recognized face of terrorism. It is thus easy to see why Al-Jazeera English has had trouble finding room in the U.S. cable market. The arguments levied against Al-Jazeera -- most typically "that it is a mouthpiece for terrorists" -- have carried significant weight in discussions in the U.S. A 2006 poll commissioned by Accuracy in Media (AIM) found that 53 percent of Americans were opposed to having the channel available via cable in the U.S., and that 38 percent were "adamantly against the channel." Of course, AIM conducted the poll prior to the broadcaster's launch, and thus none of the respondents had ever actually seen Al-Jazeera English's award winning programming. What the poll does illustrate, however, is that there is a widely held bias against the Al-Jazeera brand, an organization whose image has been thoroughly denigrated in America. Launched in November 2006, Al-Jazeera English represents the largest rollout of an English-language news broadcaster ever. Some speculate that over $1 billion was invested in the launch. Al-Jazeera English features four primary broadcasting bureaus in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington, D.C., each of which are independently responsible for programming for a designated period of time each day. In addition, the Al-Jazeera Network features over 50 bureaus worldwide, with more "indigenous journalists" than either of its main competitors, the BBC World and CNN International. Al-Jazeera English stands apart from its Arabic sister, with an entirely different audience and news agenda. Over the past year, its exclusive interviews with the Burmese Junta, on-the ground coverage of protests in Malaysia and live coverage of the Hamas takeover from inside Gaza, have each been praised for being much more thorough than those of its competitors and for relying on local journalists with deep familiarity with the countries and cultures being covered. So far, its somewhat clichéd mission statement of providing a voice to the voiceless has, to a certain extent, been fulfilled. Yet, here in the U.S., Al-Jazeera English's voice -- or, more importantly, the voices its broadcasting represents -- have been systematically stifled. Al-Jazeera English is available in the U.S. via four public media systems: Buckeye Cable in Toledo, Ohio; Burlington Telecom in Burlington, Vermont; via the Internet on Youtube and JumpTV; and in the Pentagon. It is, somewhat ironically, the top choice for news for many active U.S. soldiers. This May, Burlington Telecom's (BT) General Manager, Chris Burns, decided to drop the channel from the municipally owned telecommunications company in response to what he described as "dozens" of complaints from angry subscribers.…... FULL TEXT
 
Read Comments (8) | Add Your Own

Read Comments:

E. Powers on June 27, 2008 @ 5:51 pm:
Well researched
Well written
Thank you for the insightful article ~

AQEEL ALSADAH on June 28, 2008 @ 8:44 am:
Very nice and useful article...
I enjoyed reading it...

Regards,
Aqeel

SAS on August 23, 2008 @ 12:00 pm:
Absolutely true, every word of it.

Nick Cull on September 26, 2008 @ 11:34 am:
The fact that Israeli cable stations are taking Al-Jazeera English over BBC World might also say something about the resentment in Israel over the perceived bias in BBC coverage of the Middle East. This has long been a big complaint of the Israeli foreign ministry. Still kudos to Al-Jazeera English.

Andrew Bowe on September 30, 2008 @ 5:38 pm:
I deeply love AJE its programming is 2nd to none, the stories that I see on it touch my heart, why is it that everybody else in EU Africa Asis and Carribean and South America see this awsome channel and not Americans?

Shawn Powers on October 1, 2008 @ 4:09 pm:
Andrew -- thanks for your comment. FYI, two new developments in getting access to AJE in the US: (1) Whitman College recently became the first "undergraduate institution in the United States to begin live streaming Al-Jazeera English on campus. The initiative was pushed by two professors who wanted to provide an additional resource for students of their "Politics of the Iraq War" course; and (2) AJE's show "Witness," a weekly half-hour documentary series, will be aired on Link TV (available in 30 million U.S. homes via cable and satellite providers).

Audrey on October 8, 2008 @ 1:44 am:
I first came across Al-Jazeera English while traveling in Thailand. I was amazed at the quality of reporting and the depth of coverage from around the world. I originally expected to find more Middle East news. Their network of foreign bureaus and correspondents blew away anything CNN International offered. When I mentioned AJE to my family and friends in the States, no one really believed that it was a reputable and quality international news channel. I only hope that more people in America learn about AJE and demand it from their cable and satellite providers. AJE still has a long way to overcome the bias though...

Thanks for a great article.
Audrey
http://www.uncorneredmarket.com

manona cold on January 31, 2009 @ 3:15 pm:
Israel watch AJE,
USA don't; WHY?
" FOR THE SAKE OF ISRAEL! "
ExtraOrdinary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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