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Dreamer128 · 08-12-2004, 05:23 PM

Hm.. unfortunately (Or not. Depending on your point of view), you got your wish. Al Jazeera offices have been bombed. Both in Afghanistan and
Iraq. Leading to the deaths of innocent journalists. People who had nothing to do with international terrorism. People with families. What we need to keep in mind is that Al Jazeera is not making propaganda for anyone. In the Middle East, most television stations are under strict state censorship. Al Jazeera, however, is an independent News Station, founded by personel from the BBC. And they've proven to be no friends of the local (in a broad sense of the word) governments. To quote from an MSNBC article;

One day in April 1996, as I headed for my desk in the newsroom at BBC Television Centre, I noticed an odd gathering of journalists in the space beside ours - the newsroom of BBC Arabic Television. There were tear-streaked faces, hugs among staff members and anger as the 250 journalists were told that the network, a BBC partnership with a Saudi company, would be shut down because the Saudis tried to censor a documentary on executions in their puritanical country. It was a devastating defeat for a brave group of journalists.

or as the Guardian wrote (source above); Gowing's argument was that Al-Jazeera's only crime was that it was "bearing witness" to events that the US would rather it did not see. Indeed there is no clear evidence that Al-Jazeera directly supported the Taliban - simply that it enjoyed greater access than other stations. Certainly, Al-Jazeera reflects a certain cultural tradition: but only in the same way that CNN approaches stories from a western perspective.

Gowing demanded that the Pentagon be called to account for the destruction of Al-Jazeera's Kabul office. Journalists now appeared to be "legitimate targets", he said. "It seems to me that a very clear message needs to go out that this must not be allowed to continue."

It has to be stressed that the Pentagon denies the charge. Indeed, few senior news executives were prepared to go on the record and give credence to the theory. But it is not the first time journalists have been deliberately targeted: Serb television was bombed during the Kosovo conflict because it was seen as an agent and advocate of state terrorism.

The situations are somewhat different (although not by much, some would argue). Al-Jazeera is not an agent of a state, and few (except perhaps the US military) would claim that it is an agent of Bin Laden. But the fact that Al-Jazeera has reported in such depth the other side of this conflict is troubling to the authorities. "Al-Jazeera has been providing some material that has been very uncomfortable," Gowing said at News World.

I can't say I blame Americans for disliking Al Jazeera. After all, not like they can actually watch the channel and form their own opinions.

But bombing their offices is really a bridge too far IMHO. Sure, Osama Bin Laden has been known to get screen time. But so has the message from George Bush (I've been told they've actually broadcasted some of his speeches - not even our media do that

). These people are just normal journalists who try and give both sides screentime, as dictated by theirCode of Ethics (Read more here).

[ 08-12-2004, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]

08-12-2004, 05:23 PM	#5
Dreamer128 Dracolisk Join Date: March 21, 2001 Location: Europe Age: 40 Posts: 6,136	Hm.. unfortunately (Or not. Depending on your point of view), you got your wish. Al Jazeera offices have been bombed. Both in Afghanistan and Iraq. Leading to the deaths of innocent journalists. People who had nothing to do with international terrorism. People with families. What we need to keep in mind is that Al Jazeera is not making propaganda for anyone. In the Middle East, most television stations are under strict state censorship. Al Jazeera, however, is an independent News Station, founded by personel from the BBC. And they've proven to be no friends of the local (in a broad sense of the word) governments. To quote from an MSNBC article; One day in April 1996, as I headed for my desk in the newsroom at BBC Television Centre, I noticed an odd gathering of journalists in the space beside ours - the newsroom of BBC Arabic Television. There were tear-streaked faces, hugs among staff members and anger as the 250 journalists were told that the network, a BBC partnership with a Saudi company, would be shut down because the Saudis tried to censor a documentary on executions in their puritanical country. It was a devastating defeat for a brave group of journalists. or as the Guardian wrote (source above); Gowing's argument was that Al-Jazeera's only crime was that it was "bearing witness" to events that the US would rather it did not see. Indeed there is no clear evidence that Al-Jazeera directly supported the Taliban - simply that it enjoyed greater access than other stations. Certainly, Al-Jazeera reflects a certain cultural tradition: but only in the same way that CNN approaches stories from a western perspective. Gowing demanded that the Pentagon be called to account for the destruction of Al-Jazeera's Kabul office. Journalists now appeared to be "legitimate targets", he said. "It seems to me that a very clear message needs to go out that this must not be allowed to continue." It has to be stressed that the Pentagon denies the charge. Indeed, few senior news executives were prepared to go on the record and give credence to the theory. But it is not the first time journalists have been deliberately targeted: Serb television was bombed during the Kosovo conflict because it was seen as an agent and advocate of state terrorism. The situations are somewhat different (although not by much, some would argue). Al-Jazeera is not an agent of a state, and few (except perhaps the US military) would claim that it is an agent of Bin Laden. But the fact that Al-Jazeera has reported in such depth the other side of this conflict is troubling to the authorities. "Al-Jazeera has been providing some material that has been very uncomfortable," Gowing said at News World. I can't say I blame Americans for disliking Al Jazeera. After all, not like they can actually watch the channel and form their own opinions. But bombing their offices is really a bridge too far IMHO. Sure, Osama Bin Laden has been known to get screen time. But so has the message from George Bush (I've been told they've actually broadcasted some of his speeches - not even our media do that ). These people are just normal journalists who try and give both sides screentime, as dictated by theirCode of Ethics (Read more here). [ 08-12-2004, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]