Posted on 09/03/2004 5:06:36 AM PDT by SJackson
MONTE CARLO — This jewel of the Cote D'Azur oozes glamour, money and relaxation, not exactly the place to become immersed in the controversy about alleged jaundiced reporting by Arab satellite news channels. But it was here on the Riviera, as a panelist at the annual television festival sponsored by Monaco's royal family, that I promptly was engaged in spirited debate with representatives of al Jazeera, the Qatar-based network launched in 1996, often accused of being anti-American and anti-Israel; and al Hurra, a U.S. government-financed Arabic language TV operation that began broadcasting to the Middle East on Valentine's Day.
Headquartered in Springfield, Va., its mission is to counter perceived slanted, prejudiced news by Arab competitors. ''We're neutral and simply report the facts,'' al Jazeera's London bureau chief Mostefa Souga told me. ``Al Hurra is the Bush administration's mouthpiece.''
''Al Jazeera fans the flames,'' contends Farrell Meisel, an al Hurra founding father, formerly program director at Miami's WCIX-TV (now WFOR). ``We're legally shielded from White House interference and have balanced reporting by experienced Arab journalists. We avoid propaganda.''
CBS' 60 Minutes analyzed some of their Iraq coverage. In Fallujah, al Jazeera showed horrific images, branding U.S. soldiers ''occupiers'' who target ''martyrs'' and civilians. Al Hurra aired less graphic video while emphasizing ''American forces'' were fighting ''gunmen,'' restoring order and preventing chaos. Both covered the Abu Gharib prison scandal that dominated al Jazeera's broadcasts, but was infrequently the lead on al Hurra. ''The others incite,'' its Lebanese news director told CBS. ``Our job is to provide accurate information.''
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Excuse me, but weren't the Muslims predominently on the side of the Nazis in WWII?
At least the palis were...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.