Comments on: Al Jazeera English: The Image Problem

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:23:36 +0000

There is a major “turf war” in the US about not letting Al Jazeera proliferate. It’s one of the most interesting channels out there and their documentaries about the US are amazingly incisive. Their editorial content is superb and makes you wonder why BBC and CNN always do run of the mill topics.Not a lot of people know about a US marine named Josh Rushing, who used to be the media face during the Gulf War actually joining Al Jazeera as a reporter. http://www.joshrushing.com/If most Americans saw this channel, it would FREE THEIR MIND!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:52:24 +0000

Interesting recap. I am living in the middle east. The US has been funding an Arabic channel called “Al-Hurra” (the free) in in both television and radio. Russia behind “Russia Today”, Germany behind “DW-TV”, China too and many more. All of which is Arabic speaking and trying to reach out to the middle east and provide each one’s perspective on what’s happening.I would love if the west can see AJ, i guess it reflects the way we (middle eastrans) see the world.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:19:10 +0000

I can’t understand what the problem is, wspecially with the American news programs. It either has to be capitalistic or they are exactly what everyone says they are – non-news organizations that are afraid that someone will actually deliver the news. Otherwise, “It’s free speech baby”, sorry if it isn’t what you want to hear, sorry if it conflicts with your beliefs of reality, but I want to see the world, and even CNN doesn’t do that unless there is a direct American interest in them broadcasting.Is Al-Jazeera unbiased? is Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS. The U.S. government should fund Al-Jazeera in English, like they fund public radio, to promote free speeach, free exchange of ideas, plurality in this country.Our press used to convey images of dead soldiers in vietnam. Our reporters used to work at uncovering corruption and greed, Our news outlest used to be concerned with delivering the news, not making the news. HAs greed, corruption, war, and truth been dissolved? because you don’t see it on American News programs anymore.I want the truth. And, I don’t care where it comes from. I want the United States to be the benefactor of mankind, not to be made the image of the benefactor of mankind. How do we look to everyone else?

By: benazona

benazona — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This was an interesting glimpse into what seems to be a perpetual evolution of the Al Jazeera Network. From what I can tell, AJ definitely is more of a positive influence than not in that they are willing to communicate an accurate reflection of what is going on in the Middle East even as the US Gov’t paints them as viscious/inaccurate/careless. For now no one stateside has picked up the network, but I would not be surprised if that were to happen in the near future.

Loved the music and the editing of this piece. GOOD!

By: Greco

Greco — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This brings to mind the controversy in Canada when the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) was considering approval of Al-Jazeera for broadcast and within following months Fox News. Comparisons were made across both sides to one sided journalism and the encouragement of extremism. Opponents for both made claims that if you allow one extreme you must allow the other. I thought it was interesting that Al-Jazeera and Fox News were painted with the same brush. Both have since been approved. Sadly Fox News has been picked up in far more locations that Al-Jazeera. Widely differing opinions are valuable only when you can hear them from both sides.

By: nmanley

nmanley — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Loved the video. It's a sad thing that we're so polarized in this country. Wornder if we'll get over that one in my lifetime...

The music was great. Anyone know who it is?

By: averyargo

averyargo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The music is by San Francisco’s Vetiver

http://www.goodmagazine.com/user/vetiver

By: LiveMindful

LiveMindful — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Don't get me wrong... I'm as American as it gets. However, I like to find out about the 80 percent of the world we don't hear about on mainstream news. In other words, most of the world. I don't think AJ is biased, I think they just report the rest of the news (which I can't get from bbc, cnn, cbs, etc).

I watch AJ online... doesn't matter to me if they can't get a cable contract.

By: lorah1775

lorah1775 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Personally I like Al Jazeera and any other news station that doesn’t skew their news to be pro-USA. I wish the station would be picked up, but we all know this probably won’t happen. The stigma is too great, to many fanatics the act of watching this station is terrorism. Companies will not want to be associated with it, and honestly how many Americans are really going to watch it. Most prefer mindless reality shows over news. I wish it were different, at least it is accesible on the net.

By: tim

tim — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Al Jazeera is a well respected news agency in most of the world that reports things as they see them, it wouldn’t hurt most Americans to take a look at how we are viewed by people in other countries.

And why are people in the US biased against AJ? Because Al Qaeda chooses to send their videos to them…and they air them? I suppose CNN or BBC would just throw them away if Al Qaeda decided to send them their way? If this is the reason why people in the US hate them maybe we should all start hating NBC for airing videos of the psychopath at Virgina Tech, after all that’s exactly what he wanted.