Posted on 03/04/2011 8:35:25 AM PST by Barry Secrest
So, Hillary Clinton thinks Al Jazeera is the only "real" news network? Well, we took a look at the top stories at Al Jazeera on 3/4/11, and here is what we found:
* Israel, Where are you? * Till September: The PA’s meaningless deadlines * Israeli army will cash in on Egyptian revolution * Game over brother Muammar * From the gulf to the ocean’: The ME is changing
So far, in this "top news" section, the game appears to be stacked against...wait for it..Israel! Who would have guessed?
In the following section, we looked at what was even slightly more fair and balanced?
* The Iranian day of reckoning is coming * Bring it on is changed to bring it down * 'Our silence is a green light for Israel' * 'U.S. policy on nuclear Iran underscores bias towards Israel' * 'Contain and secure Israeli nuclear programme first'
So, here in the above section, we have only two negative references to either the US or Israel--or is that three? Ok, let's try the third sidebar section, what with all of the countries in the Mideast, surely they will not be preoccupied with a peaceful yet "avowed mortal enemy."...(see story for links)
(Excerpt) Read more at conservativerefocus.com ...
Looks like the regime is starting to turn on the very media that got them in power.
Nothing wrong with watching it. Always being informed of how the enemy thinks is a good thing. Believing the horse crap they produce is another thing altogether.
There ya go again. Clouding the issue with common sense and logic.
Al Jiz is pretty good at reporting within the Arab world.
It’s just that as soon as they venture out of the Arab world, they turn into Anti-Semite, Anti-Western whack-jobs.
So, if you separate the wheat from the chaff, you can get some good coverage over at Al Jiz.
But as an antidote, I always read Arutz Sheva and The Jerusalem Post afterwards. It’s kind of an innoculation against rampant stupidity.
I think Hillary Clinton is correct.
I also think I can offer a unique perspective on this matter because I am not an American (I am an African living in Africa). I have access to Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN International, CCTV and Euronews on my cable subscription (I used to have access to FoxNews, but I cancelled it).
Let me tell you frankly, Al Jazeera is leagues ahead of Fox News in terms of content. Most non-Americans like me have little interest in the latest antics of Hollywood celebrities. But most importantly, Fox News lacks deep foreign news coverage - and that is very dangerous.
Do not forget that the Cold War was also an information war. In those days (when my Dad was a student), there was Radio Peace and Progress (Moscow), the BBC and the VOA. The BBC and the VOA acted as a counter balance to whatever the Russians trotted out.
Many people became die hard socialists via Radio Peace and Progress - think about that.
America is truly losing the information war in Africa. Most Africans no longer watch Hollywood movies and the Chinese have moved in quietly in the news scene. In my country, the Chinese launched a cable service “StarTv” - which costs the equivalent of $4 a month to subscribe to (of course it comes with Chinese Central Television!). (I was shocked to hear a taxi driver practicing mandarin!).
The same situation is being repeated in Latin America and Asia. (Al Jazeera clearly has the best Latin American coverage amongst the major news networks).
You are Americans, it is not in my place to make any decisions for you. If the USA was a tiny self-sufficient country you could get away with your current sub-par news media, but if public diplomacy means anything - please relearn the lessons of the Cold War.
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