Over the last month there has been a little bit of discussion about whether or not more of us should have access to the Al Jazeera English news network on our cable and satellite systems. I think that's wrong. I think we should be having a LOT of discussion of the subject.
As always a little background - Al Jazeera is an international news network based in Doha Qatar which is one of
those very small countries along the Persian Gulf. It's a peninsula on the eastern side of Saudi Arabia. In 1996, following the demise of the BBC's Arabic language TV station, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa made a 137 million dollar loan to the network to get it rolling as part of his belief in a free press. Over the years Al Jazeera has earned a reputation for offering dissenting points of view to the many authoritarian regimes in its region and also to the United States. It has grown in scope from just being an Arabic language news source to having a variety of language networks including English. During the recent upheavels in the Middle East no other network has had the kind of coverage on the ground that Al Jazeera has been able to offer. Along the way some of their correspondents have also become targets of some of the regimes under fire.
So the question becomes why isn't this network generally available here in the most media saturated culture on earth? Yes you can watch it online but it is only available on cable systems in Washington DC, Toledo Ohio and Burlington Vermont. You also have access if you are a Direct TV satellite subscriber. The reality is that's still a very small percentage of the population. Last month they entered negotiations with Comcast to increase that coverage although there appears to be little progress on that front.
Al Jazeera has developed a very strong reputation in international news. They are one of, perhaps the only, major news network that continues to expand their investment in international coverage. Yes, they are sometime critical of American policy. So does the BBC. And the CBC. They bring a different point of view to what's happening in the world. That's a good thing and something that an awful lot of what passes for discussion of current events in this country would benefit from hearing. Instead too many people insist that we should only hear more of the same, should only hear reporting that reinforces our image of ourselves.
Once upon a time we lauded American journalism for seeking and speaking truth to power. Now we seem to want to hide away from someone who may want to continue on that tradition.
I say bring on Al Jazeera. A better informed debate makes us a better nation.
Call that the View From the Phlipside
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2011
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2011
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