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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
crichard85
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Rating Score:
7
Submitted On:
11/1/2005 2:00:31 AM
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I recommend Al Jazeera as a supplemental news source because it does maintain an interesting perspective, yet it fails to deliver with the journalistic dependability that is necessarily characteristic of the strongest news sources.
The major issue that presents itself when reading news from Al Jazeera is the disparity in style, rhetoric, and diction between the articles that they credit to major news sources (Agence France-Presse, etc) and those credited to Al Jazeera staff. The major news source articles are more composed and make use of different words in their descriptions of the players and events that are newsworthy. For example, in the October 2, 2005 story discussing the British establishment and the Iraq war, attributed to Agence, there is very little subjectivity, making use of numerous quotes. On the same day, a story credited to Al Jazeera staff highlights the previous day’s Iraq developments much differently, making sure to note that “casualties included women and children,” and writing about enemy combatants as “fighters” or “members,” but never “terrorists” or “insurgents.”
This is again seen in discussions of Israeli news events, which seem to be almost more inflammatory than talks of the Iraq war. On October 16, the reader can see articles attributed to international news agencies that are much more favorable to Western interests, with terms such as “national reconciliation” and a discussion of actions that are “step[s] in the right direction.” The article attributed to Al Jazeera staff contrasts this by calling members of a martyrs brigade that incited violence as “activists” in the face of unfair restraint by Israeli curfews. Israeli troops “stormed” neighborhoods, while Palestinian Martyrs Brigade members simply suffered under curfews. This use of diction, if not solely responsible, greatly contributes to the disparity in presentation by the two sorts of articles carried by Al Jazeera.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
lopatto
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Rating Score:
7
Submitted On:
11/7/2005 8:26:06 PM
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Aljazeera.com is an interesting source for news to say the least. Its target audience appears to be Arabic speakers and those living in the Middle East. The front page of the website usually has the day’s leading headlines from around the world; however a majority of the stories focus on issues that are relevant to the Middle East. There is also much attention given to the Muslim world in general, such as the numerous stories on the Russian campaign in Chechnya. Aljazeera.com uses a variety of sources, most reputable some questionable. Most of the articles are written by Al Jazeera staffers or are from the Associated Press or Reuters. However, some articles are pulled from other websites such as democracynow.org, which clearly have a set agenda. These types of articles are usually a mix of opinion piece plus investigative journalism. The obvious bias of these sources should be taken into account when reading the articles. There is a noticeable anti-American/anti-Israel bias throughout the site. The “Conspiracy Theories” section of the site is quite telling of this. One of the conspiracy articles alleges that coalition forces may actually be behind some of the terrorist bombings in Iraq. Any news source that has an entire section dedicated to conspiracy theories should raise a few red flags for any critical readers, but there are many worthwhile stories that Al Jazeera covers that are often ignored by the American media. For instance, this past week of October 24, 2005 most American news outlets were focused on the number of US war dead reaching 2000. Al Jazeera, on the other hand, featured an article on the much higher number of Iraqi civilians who have died since the start of the war. These types of articles make a Al Jazeera a valuable media asset, but just as with every other news source it must be examined with a critical eye.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
poscguy
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Rating Score:
7
Submitted On:
12/4/2005 2:31:31 PM
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The English language version of Al Jazeera (english.aljazeera.net) is a valuable source of news on the Middle East. I first became interested in Al Jazeera during the initial phase of the War against Iraq in March 2003. After hearing statements from President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld blasting Al Jazeera for its “biased and inflammatory reporting,” I decided that I wanted to look into the matter for myself. What I initially found when I went to Al Jazeera’s website was a blank page; apparently some angry American hacker(s) were able to shut down Al Jazeera’s website. After a few days, however, the site was back up and I have since been following news on Al Jazeera’s website almost daily.
My overall impression of Al Jazeera’s website is that it is a fairly reliable source for news on events in the Middle East and, at times, it can also be a good source for news on events elsewhere in the world not usually found on the websites of CNN or the BBC. An overwhelming majority of the news articles are credited to news agencies other than Al Jazeera, with most coming from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, or Reuters. News items from these agencies are usually well-balanced articles and, since many of these news stories never make it into Western news agencies’ reports, using Al Jazeera’s website becomes a valuable tool for news on Middle East.
When it comes to the War against Iraq, Al Jazeera’s reporting is fairly on target, although it is often free of the American-centric slant that is common to CNN and other American news outlets. When it comes to the cartoons and opinion columns posted on Al Jazeera’s website, however, there is a clear biased in the viewpoints expressed. A recent cartoon depicted Santa Clause flying his sled with presents in it marked for the major regions of the world. The cartoon then showed bush flying a fighter plane with the writing “Merry Christmas” on it. The plane was carrying missiles labeled for Syria, Iran, Al Jazeera, and Iraq. This cartoon clearly depicts President Bush as a bomb happy individual who is targeting the aforementioned countries and Al Jazeera itself. Another recent cartoon depicts a humble Iranian man with a “basic chemistry” book cooking something innocently in a pot while a angry dog, around ten times the size of the Iranian man, with the letters UN on it barking and growling viciously at the Iranian. This cartoon clearly portrays Iran as a country seeking only innocent nuclear technologies while being the victim of angry and arbitrary UN actions. Despite the bias in the cartoons and opinion articles posted, however, one is provided with valuable insight into how many in the Middle East view America and the West. Even if one does not agree with the sentiments expressed, the views expressed are commonly identified with in the Middle East and viewing them can be a useful means to understanding anti-Western sentiments in the Arab world.
All things considered, Al Jazeera has been a valuable source of information for me. With the majority of its news reports presenting fairly balanced views, although not American-centric, I have found Al Jazeera quite helpful in obtaining news on Middle Eastern as well as Arab points of view. With that said, I would not recommend Al Jazeera to be one’s primary source of news. Rather, one would benefit greatly from using Al Jazeera as a supplemental source of information, while relying on a more established and well-respected news agency as their primary source for news.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
rnmehta
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Rating Score:
6
Submitted On:
10/31/2005 3:35:39 AM
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Al-Jazeera is one of the most important and influential networks in the Middle East and around the world. Established nearly twelve years ago and based in the United Arab Emirates, Al-Jazeera remains one the premier sources of Middle Eastern coverage. Unlike many other global news sources, Al-Jazeera focuses primarily on the Middle East, Northern Africa, and South Asia. Given this specific focus, Al-Jazeera is naturally and somewhat understandably less neutral in its stances on particular articles. Unlike many other news organizations, Al-Jazeera sometimes presents perspectives that represent a Muslim point of view, especially for topics that center on Middle Eastern politics. This, unsurprisingly, makes Al-Jazeera less objective than a media source such as BBC Worldwide.
However, it is necessary to portray and understand the perspectives of the many millions of Muslims living in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and South Asia. And at times such as these, these perspectives are becoming increasingly controversial and provocative. Two areas of the main-page of the website, accordingly, are called “Conspiracies” and “Who’s Telling the Truth.” These sections of Al-Jazeera disentangle review articles and present a seemingly anti-American and anti-Western analysis of Middle Eastern stories. For example, one headline read: “Bush and Blair: War Criminals?” This is not the kind of headline one would find on a Western media source, such as CNN or BBC World.
Like other media sources, Al-Jazeera includes country and leader profiles that supplement articles to help explain further political analysis. These leader profiles include Iranian, Iraqi, Pakistani, Palestinian, and Syrian presidents and other influential Islamic clerics. Additionally, the website provides important factual data about various countries through the Muslim world. Additionally, like BBC Worldwide News, allows readers to post comments and opinions on the review articles. While most comments are productive and valid and designed to provide further information, various viewpoints, and alternative considerations, there are some comments that are merely derogatory and not beneficial.
Conclusively, Al-Jazeera is an important news media source that is crucial to Middle Eastern politics and more importantly, significant to the people of the Middle East and surrounding areas.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
dambusta
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Rating Score:
6
Submitted On:
10/31/2005 4:34:44 PM
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Al Jazeera Cartoons
The stances taken by the cartoons cater to the Arab perspectives on news issues. Despite stating that it offers much needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate" for its Arab audiences, the cartoons merely perpetuate the underlying sentiments and beliefs engrained in the Arab world. Instead of a varying selection of cartoonists with different viewpoints, only one cartoonist provides cartoons for the English Al Jazeera website.
The themes for the cartoons are rather similar. On one side are more war-ravaged and impoverished states such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bosnia, and African countries. Opposing them are the wealthier Western states; US, UK, Israel, as well as the United Nations. Topics fluctuate between human rights, corruption, aid and assistance, freedom and democracy, the global war on terror, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In these cartoons, the overwhelming majority focus on criticizing the West’s handling of the above stated topics. The Arab world and its fellow disadvantaged countries are portrayed as victims of the West’s policies and actions. The West is portrayed as corrupt and greedy and hide behind the cloak of human rights, freedom, and democracy to further exploit the Arab states.
The cartoons fail to critique the Arab worlds’ own policies and actions, merely placing the blame on others. This is an example of the Arab world’s inability to take responsibility for their own shortcomings and failures. Instead of addressing the issue and analyzing their own inadequacies and mistakes, the cartoons focus on outsiders who are conveniently portrayed and labeled as the evildoers and the enemy.
These cartoons, though blatantly biased, provide a valuable insight to the Arab mindset. News stories provide a glimpse into events in other parts of the world, but cartoons expose perspectives not evident by reading news stories.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
BK542
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Rating Score:
6
Submitted On:
12/8/2005 9:59:43 PM
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Despite continuing criticism from both government and news agencies in the United States, al Jazeera remains one of the premier Arabic-based media sources within the Middle East and surrounding regions. Its online subsidiary, aljazeera.net, provides readers with English and Arabic versions of the company’s news reports, primarily focusing on current events in politics and business, from its headquarters in Doha, Qatar. The broadcaster claims “objectivity, integrity, and balance” in its coverage of the region’s issues, professing its mission to offer audiences “much needed freedom of thought, independence, and room for debate.” Nonetheless, it has been condemned by many as a biased and even dangerous source of anti-Western propaganda, largely as a result of the station’s willingness to air communications by Bin Laden and other extremists.
In the 2 ½ months in which I have monitored the website, however, I have found very few instances of biased journalism, or any such causes for concern. My hope was that aljazeera.net would provide a unique perspective, by those most affected by the ongoing violence that has gripped this part of the world. Yet, in reviewing articles relating to the U.S.-led “War on Terror”, I found little to distinguish this site from any other conventional, Western news agency such as CNN or MSNBC. Just as American media has focused on the partisan issues surrounding the country’s war in Iraq, and the scandals of prisoner abuse and secret CIA prisons, so too do the reporters at al Jazeera. The website provides in-depth coverage of developments in the region, utilizing speeches by high-ranking U.S. officials such as Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, and President Bush. Surprisingly, al Jazeera does not highlight the recent developments concerning reports that Bush planned to carry out attacks on the broadcaster and its affiliate stations during the Iraq campaign. Were the site truly as biased as many claim, it would seem that this would be a compelling topic to garner anti-American sentiment and support. Instead, the site provides comprehensive coverage of a wide spectrum of topics, few of which take any stance for or against the United States.
All in all, aljazeera.net is a competent and capable news source that demonstrates journalistic integrity in regards to the U.S. “War on Terror”. Its contents are aggregated from a number of sources, including Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and more than 30 international bureaus affiliated with the company. Many of the most detailed articles on the site come from Reuters and AFP, while those attributed specifically to al Jazeera are somewhat less exhaustive. Yet, even in those articles written by journalists within the company, signs of bias are rare. The most profound contrast between this news source and others is in cases of terminology, when referencing insurgency groups in Iraq and Palestine. What many Western papers refer to as “the insurgency” or “terrorists” elements within these societies, al Jazeera often calls “resistance fighters”. While this is an important distinction, it should be noted that even American media has had arguments over how to classify these movements.
In conclusion, the views expressed in the news articles of al Jazeera rely on fact-based analysis, not biased reporting. While it may not offer as distinctive of an alternative insight as I had hoped, al Jazeera gives an even-handed account of the news as it pertains to a Middle Eastern audience, providing a useful supplement to anyone interested in the region.
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Review Source:
Submitted by AMG User
mininyoung
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Rating Score:
5
Submitted On:
10/29/2005 7:00:30 PM
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Aljazeera.net is the online version of the Aljazeera TV, an Arabic-language television channel based in Qatar, and allegedly the most watched news channel in the Middle East. The station gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when it broadcasted numerous video messages from Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders. This led to criticism by the United States government that Aljazeera was engaging in propaganda on behalf of the terrorists. I have followed the news articles and other kinds of articles posted on the English version of Aljazeera website for roughly one and half month in order to analyze it in a systematic manner rather than accusing it from visceral hostility.
Aljazeera mainly deals with the news from the Middle East such as the dispute between Israel and Palestine and the state building process after US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Because Aljazeera only focuses on the news from the Arab world, a significant portion, if not all, of their news outside the region is either directly drawn from the big news agencies—Agence France Presse, Associate Press, and Reuters—or simple aggregations of original sources from the big news agencies, which appears with citation of “agencies.” On the other hand, news from the Arab region shows the evidence that its own journalist and correspondents collaborate in making the news. Most of them appear on the website with sources cited as “agencies+Aljazeera,” rather than “agencies.” These news articles mainly try to deliver the simple facts reporting what exactly is going on without presenting any particular view.
Other than this news articles that provides almost raw facts, Aljazeera also has three special sections: “Features,” “Special Reports,” and “Opinion.” In the features and special reports sections, where the articles written by its own journalists appear Aljazeera tends to forget its ethical duty as a responsible media service. I oftentimes could find articles with inflammatory words which are obviously not in accord with Aljazeera’s own code of ethics—particularly, fairness and balance. One of the articles about the current political and social conditions of Afghanistan, for example, describes the US operation in Afghanistan as what “US war machine was doing to one of the world’s poorest countries.” The other article from special report of the war in Iraq characterizes US Vice President Dick Cheney as a man who “spent his whole career advocating the necessity of American global interventionism, with a tendency to overstate both the threats America faces and its need for military rather that political means to deal with them,” whereas then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as a leader who, “[despite] his dictatorial practices, modernized his country—developing industries, nationalizing the Iraqi oil company, leading the national campaign for the eradication of illiteracy and defecting a revolution in energy industries and public services.”
In conclusion, although Aljazeera has garnered significant number of viewership around the world, it is far short of being a trustworthy source of information in terms of both content and viewpoint. It has virtually no useful information about matters not related to the Arab world; and it espouses a viewpoint that is not fare and objective by all means. Readers beware.
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