The English version of the award-winning 24-hour news broadcast, Al-Jazeera TV, aired internationally via satellite Nov. 15, marking the beginning of a new way to report current events from the Middle East.
The launch made Al-Jazeera the only English-language international network inside the Middle East broadcasting news to outside viewers.
According to Jordan Mendys, a junior in communication, Al-Jazeera’s English version could be a good thing.
“Most Americans view the world through American media sources,” Mendys said. “This could help educate the population with different viewpoints.”
Al-Jazeera’s headquarters, based in Doha, Qatar, has a front-row seat to the ongoing events taking place in the Middle East, and now has the potential ability to share that information with nearly 1 billion viewers.
The news station is well-known for broadcasting Osama Bin Laden’s war rhetoric in 2001, details of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the ongoing current events coverage of the western world’s struggle to spread democracy.
“When most Americans think of Al-Jazeera, they think about the Arabic language,” Mendys said. “To most, that immediately discredits the source. The English presentation might help change that.”
However, Al-Jazeera’s longevity has not come without a cost. It has made several sacrifices in order to stand among major international news sources.
On Nov. 13, 2001, the U.S. bombed Al-Jazeera’s Kabul-based office during an invasion of Afghanistan, despite reports from the station of location coordinates and concerns of collateral damage.
Similarly, on April 8, 2003, the U.S. stormed Al-Jazeera’s Baghdad office with missiles, killing reporter Tareq Ayyoub.
In addition, an American-operated prison site in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been holding cameraperson Sami Al-Haj since 2002.
Furthering U.S. involvement, the White House developed a plan for Al Hurra, a government-funded American media project broadcasted in Arabic that would report news and events from the Middle East.
In the past, American-based news medium FOX News, along with recently resigned Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, falsely accused Al-Jazeera of broadcasting masked kidnappers beheading hostages.
According to Al-Jazeera, no such event has ever taken place, and despite its efforts, those accusers have never recanted their comments.
The Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel is separate from the Al-Jazeera Publishing Company. The two media sources make distinctions between ownership and affiliation on their Web sites.
“Important note: Al-Jazeera Publishing disassociates itself from the views, opinions and broadcasts of controversial Jazeera Space Channel TV station,” according to the Al-Jazeera Magazine Web site.
Despite the difficult barriers that have stood in its way, Al-Jazeera defines itself as a news medium that “gives a voice to untold stories, promotes debate and challenges established perceptions,” as stated on the Web site.
According to Stephen Wiley, a professor in communication, Al-Jazeera’s presence “could represent a major shift in the traditional dominance of world information flows by Western media companies.” The implications of Al-Jazeera broadcasting in English are yet to be fully known; however, according to Al-Jazeera’s Web site, Interbrand, a global broadcasting company, said it is “the most influential brand among all media networks.”
The Web site for Al-Jazeera TV offers free up-to-date streaming video, including business and sports news.
For more information regarding Al-Jazeera TV, visit its Web site at http://www.aljazeera.net.