Of the many business interests that have gained in the wake of 9/11, the Al-Jazeera satellite news network has done so firmly in the public eye. Whilst this could be seen as inevitable, it has fuelled the controversy that has accompanied the rise of Al-Jazeera.
The station first broadcast in 1996. It was established following the embarrassing closure of BBC Arabic Television, allegedly as a result of political pressure exerted by the Saudi Royal Family, who didn’t want the country being subjected to impartial reportage. But whilst the BBC’s foray into Arabic-language broadcasting ended in tears, its editorial spirit survives through Al-Jazeera, which initially drew its staff from the boarded-up offices of the defunct BBC operation.
At the start of 2001 Al-Jazeera was largely unknown in the West. Following the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq it quickly became known as the source for alternative news coverage of the conflicts. As a result its subscriber base expanded rapidly, particularly in the USA and Canada where 2500 subscribers sign up daily according to managing director Jasim Al-Ali.
The impact of Al-Jazeera on viewers in the Middle East region has been immense. It reportedly has over 50 million viewers and is by far the most popular Arabic-language news channel. The station bills itself as the only objective media source in the region, a view shared by its supporters, although others have suggested this claim is somewhat far-fetched.
Earlier this year the station was billed as a model that has ‘raised the bar of reporting in the Middle East’ by European think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), when it called upon EU nations to help establish a similar broadcasting network for Africa. It has stimulated interest worldwide.
Hugh Miles, author of ‘Al Jazeera : How Arab TV News Challenges America’ reports that NATO ‘recognize the network as the most important non-state actor in the Middle East today’ and that the British military regard it as ‘a useful new tool to communicate positive messages about the coalition’s intentions toward Iraqis.’
In the West, the controversy surrounding Al-Jazeera is tied up with its success. The station is still best known for its decision to air footage of Osama bin Laden celebrating the WTC attack. By offering what its detractors regard as a biased biased perspective on issues affecting the Arab world, the station has ruffled the feathers of competing media corporations and especially the Bush administration.
Allegations the network has links to Al Qaeda continue to be made (without making the distinction between having ties with an organisation and supporting it, as is accepted to be the case between the BBC and IRA) even as western media giants are signing deals with Al-Jazeera for access to contacts and footage they cannot obtain.
In researching his book, published last year, Miles engaged with protagonists in the USA, Europe and the Middle East, and discovered that whilst contempt for Al-Jazeera has eased, its staunchest critics remain in Washington where White House officials are working hard to minimize the negative impact of the ongoing occupation in Iraq.
Al Jazeera and its staff continue to be singled out for acts of censorship in many countries, including the US, Spain, Iraq, and Iran.
Still, interest in the network continues to grow following the success of the documentary ‘Control Room’, which contemplates the theme of objectivity in the media and the role of Al-Jazeera in reporting news from the Middle East. A US marine who unwittingly emerged as one of the ‘stars’ of the movie has since being recruited as the ‘American face’ of the network to promote the much anticipated launch of its English language service Al-Jazeera International.
Meanwhile in the Middle East the broadcasting landscape is set to change again as the BBC has announced it is planning a second excursion into Arabic-language broadcasting, in what the Guardian newspaper described as ‘a battle for control of the new frontier for global TV – the Middle East.’
The new BBC Arabic will spearhead the drive to lure viewers away from Al-Jazeera. Something its current competitors have been decidedly lacklustre in achieving.
