Al Jazeera was launched in by the state of Qatar after the shutdown of the BBC’s Arabic language operations and has become a worldwide media powerhouse. Funded by the Emir of Qatar to support his vision of a free press as part of the evolution of the emirate and initially staffed by quite a number of BBC Arabic alumni, its history has been filled with controversy and criticism from every angle—including from Arab states as well as western ones. It’s also been at the center of covering the wars Iraq and Afghanistan and persevered in that coverage despite having its offices in both countries destroyed by US bombs.
Personally, I admire Al Jazeera and—with a small bit of chagrin—agree with the perception that it’s more even-handed and does a better job of covering important issues overall than American media outlets. I say chagrin not because Al Jazeera is an Arab operation and I feel uncomfortable with that. Not at all. It’s because I’m quite disappointed in what’s become of media in the United States. Remember when CNN was young and scrappy and took risks to cover the first US engagement in Iraq and then went on to become a decent worldwide news source? Where’s that CNN now? Some of it seems to still live on in CNN International, but we don’t see that in the states. Instead, we get something that’s a lot more dumbed down, and that disappoints me greatly.
Obviously, every news source is biased in some way and Al Jazeera is no different. The network is currently very controversial in the Arab world because of its support and coverage of the Arab spring and the perception that it’s pushing an agenda that is counter to the established governments in many Arab countries. One of my friends here from Tunisia has some bitter stories about Al Jazeera’s coverage there last year, even though he was a supporter of the overthrow of the previous regime. It’s also been controversial in the west with its coverage in both Iraq and Afghanistan, so much so that many wonder if the US bombing of offices in each country during the conflict was indeed accidental.
It seems they are doing a good job of taking fire from both sides. Is this is a good thing or a bad thing? I can’t answer this question. What I do know is that when you listen to what many sides say, the truth often lays somewhere in between. Because of this, Al Jazeera English has joined the BBC and New York Times as one of my primary news sources of record.
Because it has become one of my primary news sources, I was thrilled when Kris Krüg and I got permission to tour the studios with our cameras and see what went on behind the scenes in both the Arabic and English news operations. Like many studios I’ve been in, it’s both less and more impressive than you’d imagine. From the outside, the buildings look like many an industrial park. Nondescript with a bit of security to keep things under control. Inside is where it comes alive with people all working and collaborating on producing what you see on television.
Both Kris and I wished we had a bit more time to explore Al Jazeera, but our slate is full with exploring everything else around Doha and Qatar. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to come back and talk more with the people behind Al Jazeera and find out more about the back story. There’s always a back story and I have a feeling there are some good ones here.
Posted by James Duncan Davidson.