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January 31, 2005
And on Media: al Jazeerah
Qatar Advances Plans To Privatize Al-Jazeera
U.S. Has Criticized Arab TV Network
By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 31, 2005; Page A16
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49759-2005Jan30.html
Just in time for my comments.
Let me focus on the following:
Still, in late 2003, Qatar announced it would begin exploring ways to privatize the network. Pressure from the U.S. government, the journalist said, was the final straw -- but ironic, given the Bush administration's stated desire to support democracy and free media in the Middle East.
Indeed ironic. However, it would appear free media is meant as "free pro American media."
"The same administration that is spending millions of dollars to have independent or free media in the region is participating in the potential silencing of media in the process," said the journalist, who requested anonymity because all public comments from the network are supposed to come from Ballout.
....
Although U.S. officials have appeared occasionally on the network to reach its vast audience, they have long complained that al-Jazeera's coverage is politically inflammatory and, at times, factually flawed.
So US absence from the number one or number two news source in the region is .... petulance?
I would say yes.
Powell publicly complained about al-Jazeera to the government of Qatar in April. As The Washington Post reported, after Powell had "very intense" discussions about the network with the Qatari foreign minister, Hamad Bin Jasim Thani, the minister said: "I heard with great attention what the U.S. administration had to say about it. I am not directly involved, but I will certainly deliver it to the right people in Qatar."
Ballout said that the criticism of the network by senior U.S. officials was "unprecedented" and that, far from being biased, al-Jazeera had explored taboo topics and provided an independent platform for diverse views that had been missing from the Arab media.
"The vast majority of the criticism of al-Jazeera has been politically motivated," he said.
I have to agree.
Posted by The Lounsbury at January 31, 2005 11:30 AM
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Jan-July 2005
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