Al Jazeera is a television network based in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East, and is said to be the most influential news media company in the region by far. Beginning as a news and current affairs satellite TV channel, it has since expanded into a vast network of specialty television channels, and, most importantly, Internet mediums. Its websites have been translated into many languages, and since 2003 the website has been available in English. Al Jazeera’s offering of a fresh perspective on Middle Eastern conflicts and news allows it to stand out from other news media companies. Perhaps the meaning of Al Jazeera, island, is all too apt for the company, one that seems to stand alone in a sea of unworthy competitors. On the other hand, some would state that the name translates more accurately to peninsula, in which Al Jazeera would be more of an attachment to a preexisting news medium in the Middle East.
Few would deny the websites stature as a serious competitor in the dissemination of daily global news. One visit to the website and a deluge of information becomes available, offering headlines from Thailand, Bangladesh, China, and the United States. A side column reveals countless links to other stories, neatly packaged and arranged by their respective countries: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central and South Asia, Europe and the Middle East, to name a few. Genres are laid out as well, ranging from business to sports, weather to blogs. With such wide-ranging coverage, the site seems to rival that of CNN.com and BBC.com in competence, although its foreign nature might make it harder to find for the general Western public.
Concerning interest, the vast list of topics as well as live and consistently updated footage make the website very interesting and captivating. Any news on a particular country is likely to be found on the website, making it a one-stop website for much news. It contains topics that are not socially or politically related as well, such as sports and weather, but one criticism is that its branching out to other genres stops there. Regardless, the site seems to be one of primary interest in the Arab world. This is perhaps due to its many awards and far-reaching scope: according to Alexa.com, Aljazeera.net is the most visited website in the Arab world, as well as being nominated by the Webby Awards for best news website in the world.
The utilities of the website are vast and encompassing as well. The introduction of the news media company and its subsequent website has had something of a liberating effect on the Arab world. Prior to its arrival to the scene, many Middle Eastern citizens found it impossible to watch anything other than “state-censored national TV stations.” The level of freedom of speech that Al Jazeera subsequently brought with it was unprecedented at the time, making it a vital new commodity in the news world. Its employment of such links as “livestation,” a broadcast of its actual TV coverage, as well as Youtube links to popular episodes and an “In depth” section allow one to make full use of the websites very helpful, if sometimes daunting, links.
Perhaps employing the evaluative terms from Susan Beck’s article “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly: Or, Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources” will provide a further look and critique upon the Al Jazeera website. Concerning “Authority,” Al Jazeera shows mostly positive results. Most of the pages are signed, with the more collaborative pages and profiles remaining anonymous. The authors that are indeed listed are certainly qualified correspondents. The sponsors are listed throughout the website, although the site is not riddled and polluted with pop-up ads. Links to the sponsors are available on most occasions, and when an author is unavailable, Al Jazeera claims responsibility at the bottom of each article. Concerning “Accuracy,” the results are more mixed. The information is, for the large part, very reliable and error-free. When a news source becomes as big as Al Jazeera, contending with the New York Times and the BBC, it no doubt has to be accurate and fact-checked, in addition to having seasoned correspondents as well. Taking “Objectivity” into account, the information is mostly objective, but, as in any news medium, simply choosing what to report on in particular begins to hinder any claims of objectivity. The pages are not, however, designed to sway public opinion, at least as far as the Western eye can see. In Arab circles, for example, Al Jazeera has been said to cater to a nationalistic fever. Although the website is frequently updated each and every day, the pages are not dated per se, hindering claims of “Currency.” However, the homepage does include a clock that states the last time the page was updated, as well as listing that time in both the time of the visitor and the traditional “Mecca time.” Finally, “Coverage” is taken into account, and this is perhaps the Al Jazeera websites strongest area. It covers topics from nearly all the world, with correspondents on six continents. Such extensive coverage and facilitated links are difficult to find anywhere else. The material, too, is very in depth considering the little amount of time given to the correspondents to report the story. Ultimately, Al Jazeera’s website stands out as a strong contender, and perhaps on its own, hence the name “the island.” Some would still argue that its coverage is biased or too shallow, and that it was born by utilizing outlets that were already in existence. If this is the case, making Al Jazeera more of a branching peninsula (as its name could also mean), then its unique and extensive coverage still allows it to reach farther out into the abyss of information than any other Arabic news media company or website before it.
1 comment:
This is a highly interesting and controversial topic. Al Jazeera is frequently portrayed by the western press as radical. I would be curious to see if Al Jazeera is indeed radical with respect to Arab opinions, or if it is merely offering a non-western perspective. Furthermore, perhaps prominent western press is threatened by this rising star.
I personally believe that much of the criticism directed towards Al Jazeera is unwarranted. First of all, Al Jazeera should be seen as an encouraging sign of democracy in the Middle East. The news provider, in theory and presumably in practice, is free from government intervention. This must be seen as a step in the right direction. Through Al Jazeera the Arabs have achieved two of the greatest accomplishments of our democracy: freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Why then is there not widespread support of Al Jazeera? What is to explain the western public's negative perceptions of Al Jazeera? Without concentration, I myself am victim to stereotyping the network as radical or unreliable. However, this unfair stereotype is largely ungrounded. I think that Westerners question the integrity and the agenda of Al Jazeera because of the way it is portrayed in our own western media. Perhaps Arabs too question the integrity of our news sources due to Al Jazeera's portrayal of western media?
Al Jazeera should be considered a positive force when viewed form both the western and arab perspectives. Who is better to cover the news of the Arab world then Arabs themselves? It offers a local free press that will foster the development of contemporary ideas and beliefs that may reshape the area and the world.
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