Washington Post On The "Demand Al-Jazeera In The USA" Campaign (With A Graph Of Them Vs NYT)

[Turborama]

Posted at 10:19 AM ET, 02/ 4/2011
"Demand Al-Jazeera in the USA" campaign
By Elizabeth Flock

Update: 3:11 p.m. The United Nations just told reporters al-Jazeera would be available on the internal UN TV system, Washington Post reporter Colum Lynch http://twitter.com/columlynch/status/33613443323928576">reports.

Over the past 11 days, major U.S. cable news networks repeatedly began their breaking news reports with the words "al-Jazeera reports."

http://english.aljazeera.net/">The international news network headquartered in Doha, Qatar, and broadcasting to 190 million households around the world, has been the only media outlet with uninterrupted live video of the demonstrations. Al-Jazeera continued broadcasting even after http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hG9P5yBz1EBvt0MN-CydA-neRqpA?docId=CNG.48f3fb2a5d4e5791795d8c3f3b8c5311.5c1">Egyptian authorities stormed their Cairo office and detained several al-Jazeera reporters.

Americans huddled around their computer screens to watch low-resolution video on the http://english.aljazeera.net/">al-Jazeera site or saw the video replayed on American networks, because other than a few pockets across the U.S., including Ohio, Vermont, and Washington D.C., American cable carriers don't offer viewers the choice of al-Jazeera. Viewers in the DC area can also view Al Jazeera English content through MHz Networks multicast channels.


Via http://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/how-do-you-say-all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print-in-arabic.html">Mondoweiss (http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/aljazeera.net">Alexa.com)

Now, al-Jazeera is trying to change that. On Feb. 10, al-Jazeera is encouraging a meet up in 224 communities for viewers to demand the network on U.S. television. "This past month has shown us something that America can no longer ignore: millions of Americans want to watch our channel and better understand our region," Wadah Khanfar, director general of the network, wrote on the site. http://english.aljazeera.net/demandaljazeera/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=trend&utm_campaign=demand">Al Jazeera set up a page where a viewer can enter in their zip code, be led to a contact page for their local cable and satellite providers, and even send out a pre-written letter to their provider asking for the network. The letter states that "misinformed views about our content and journalism" continue to keep al-Jazeera English off American air waves.

=snip=

Immediate calls to Comcast and Dish network were not answered.

The view promoted by the Bush administration was that the al-Jazeera network is anti-American. Leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1118-10.htm">the U.S. Pentagon hired the Rendon group to target and possibly punish al-Jazeera reporters who did not stay on message. When al-Jazeera broadcast graphic footage from Iraq, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2893689.stm">U.S. officials called al-Jazeera anti-American and said it incited violence. Al-Jazeera was censored in the U.S. on several occasions after that. The past 11 days may alter that view. Alex Pareene of Salon wrote that "http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x293197 ">al-Jazeera's Egypt coverage embarrasses U.S. cable news channels." Major news networks are still prefacing their coverage with the words "al-Jazeera".

More (including some screenshots of recent Tweets: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/02/al-jazeera_on_us_television.html

In the meantime, they do upload all their http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish#g/p">shows & http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish#g/u">news reports to YouTube http://english.aljazeera.net/video/">and their website. As most have found out by now, they also broadcast live 24/7 free here: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now /

But they also have a much more stable online presence on Livestream, when you download the standalone player it's as stable as watching it on TV and you can even comment on a show as it's being broadcast live and they some times quote you just afterwards, how cool is that? Plus they have several other global news channels. I posted details on how to get it http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x329771">here.

http://english.aljazeera.net/demandaljazeera/">

Previous Related OPs...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=326334">Demand Al Jazeera English In The US

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=309562">HuffPo: We Want Our Al Jazeera English *Now*HuffPo: We Want Our Al Jazeera English *Now*

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=315131">There Are A Number Of Misperceptions And Myths That Exist About Al Jazeera English In North America

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6848728">A lengthy history I put together of how the Bush Junta murdered Al Jazeera reporters and tried to wipe the channel off the map, just for doing their job. Being real journalists.

See also their Code of Ethics: http://www.iwantaje.net/code

[randr]

1. So our government works the same way as Egypt's when it comes to freedom of information?

[w4rma]

2. This is what happens when so few control the flow of information. (nt)

[sufrommich]

8. The government has nothing to do with whether or not Al Jazeera

is on your cable line up.It's your cable provider that makes that decision.

[randr]

9. I was refering to this line

The view promoted by the Bush administration was that the al-Jazeera network is anti-American. Leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. Pentagon hired the Rendon group to target and possibly punish al-Jazeera reporters who did not stay on message.

[EFerrari]

3. That graph is pretty amazing.

With all the cultural and economic pull the NYTs has, people are STILL going to the hyper demonized but real news source. :wow:

[Turborama]

4. It is, isn't it.

I have been wanting to find actual numbers rather than just the percentages we've been hearing about and that graph really helps put it in even better perspective.

:hi:



BTW I'm "following" you now on Twitter. @DUTurborama

[GSLevel9]

5. and while they're at it...

I want ala carte TV cable.

I want to pay $1.00 per month for the channels I watch like 1 local channel, HIST, DISC, TNT, SCIFI, PBS, SMTH, MIL and TLC (rarely)

I don't want my $$ to subsidize any SHIT channels I don't care about.

[Turborama]

6. From @AJEnglish

Al Jazeera English
You can help #DemandAlJazeera by joining our @Meetup community: http://meetup.com/AJE
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

God, I love this Twitter thing, thanks for pushing me over the edge, Beth & Sabrina! :hi:

[prairierose]

7. I have been watching a 1 hour show from ...

Al Jazeera that plays nights on Freespeech TV. It has been nice to see some different news. It plays nights after Democracy Now. That is how I found it.

[Turborama]

10. Cross posting seafan's excellent related OP on this

US viewers seek Al Jazeera coverage; Telecommunications Companies Block Its Expansion in the U. S.: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x339065

[Turborama]

11. Kick for the morning crew who may have missed it...

:kick: