| Al Jazeera and the Information Warfare | | Print | |
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Page 2 of 3 Al Jazeera's immense popularity in the Arabic world has solidified its reputation as the go-to source for "alternative" news for much of the Western hemisphere. For the first time in modern history, the flow of information is no longer just from West to East and stations such as CNN and the BBC sometimes have to rely on feed from Al Jazeera to keep their viewers informed about areas of the Arabic world where the station has greater access. In terms of transmission, it was Al Jazeera's coverage from Afghanistan that most dramatically put the station on the global map. The "independent" Arabic station was the only broadcaster allowed into Afghanistan (more precisely, the Taliban-controlled parts of the country) and this is the main reason for Al Jazeera's rise to fame in the West. It was Osama bin Laden and the Taliban's exclusive choice of Al Jazeera after 9/11 that brought the network to the attention of most Americans and Europeans, and exposed the station to Western critics. Al Jazeera is called radical by its detractors and an alternative medium by admirers, and is often accused of being "Bin Laden's mouthpiece." Yet it does not appear to have internalized or adopted the ideologies of any specific social movement in its coverage. For this reason, in March 2003, Index on Censorship awarded Al Jazeera for its "courage in circumventing censorship and contributing to the free exchange of information in the Arab world." As a matter of fact, it has provided a platform for the broadcast of radical voices without aligning itself directly or establishing cohesive relationships with any issue, ideology or group in the Arabic world or beyond. In its urgent desire to promote democracy and other reforms in the Arabic world, the station is as witheringly critical of Arabic regimes as it is opposed to certain pillars of American foreign policy. As it entered its 10th year in 2006, Al Jazeera, with more than 40 million viewers, has emerged as one of the most powerful news channels globally. It is now a major "mainstream" political, social, cultural and economic playmaker on the media landscape. The station is in an ambivalent position vis-à-vis its regional and global audiences - in some instances serving as the sole voice of discursive dissent and in others acting as the major mainstream broadcaster in the Arabic world. The popularity of Al Jazeera with Arab viewers should not lead us to overlook deficiencies in its journalistic practice. A constructive critique of its programming and representational practices — as well as a more general analysis of all media institutions — articulated from within the Arabic world and abroad, is an important incentive to further a pluralistic, responsible and commercial and public service oriented media environment. Al Jazeera alone is not sufficient to overcome entrenched authoritarian regimes. Nor are its political effects always constructive. But such satellite television has expanded the realm of political possibility for Arab citizens. To reach an even wider audience, Al Jazeera, in November 2006, launched an ambitious effort: Al Jazeera English, a global news channel in English with an unusual rolling 24-hour rotation, anchored throughout the day in four hubs around the world: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Doha, Qatar; London; and Washington, D.C. It's the first English-language channel based in the Middle East looking out. In addition to some new faces, the network has assembled an impressive corps of news veterans from Western television, among them Sir David Frost and American journalist Dave Marash, who left ABC News' "Nightline" last year and joined the new channel as an anchor and field reporter. "The brief is emphatically not to do an English translation of the Arabic channel," said Nigel Parsons, the project manager. "It will have international appeal and fill a lot of gaps in existing output. It will develop its own approach independently of Al Jazeera in Arabic." The channel uses familiar Western formats, Western reportorial conventions and Western journalists, but the perspective and choice of stories are fresh and non-Western. By telecasting in English, the channel has clearly sought to occupy a space that was excluded or marginalized by Western bias in the media.It represents a unique opportunity of reaching a combination of demographic consumers (Asian Muslims, European Arabs, etc.) as well as the majority of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims who don't speak Arabic. "Looks like it is going to be a serious competitor for the two established channels, BBC World and CNN. ... They're going to be reporting the south to the north, and they say they won't follow the traditional agenda," said Richard Porter, head of BBC news. "I welcome their arrival. Competition is good in any market." But Al Jazeera's English-language service is likely to be the subject of just as much controversy as its parent organization.
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