U.S. Army chief spokesman Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt recently denounced Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera as ‘anti-coalition media,’ advising the 35 million viewers of the largely independent Qatar-based network to ‘change the channel.’
In January the network was banned by Iraq’s interim governing council from covering its activities for one month for making ‘accusations against certain council members.’
And as a condition for reaching a settlement with insurgents in still-besieged Fallujah, American forces demanded the expulsion of all Al-Jazeera reporters, with Kimmitt characterizing their coverage of the stand-off as nothing but a ‘series of lies.’
Clearly, U.S. government officials aren’t fans of the network.
Al-Jazeera has been blamed for everything from biased reporting to inciting violence to willfully helping Al-Qaeda. They’re either with us or with the terrorists, or so the thinking goes.
Problem is, and this is clearly a problem for proponents of the official American line; Al-Jazeera is not just as fair and as balanced as CNN, MSNBC or FOX, news sources whose coverage we often accept in its unquestioned form even though most of us know better. Al-Jazeera is actually more fair more and more balanced
Privacy Disclaimer: After submitting content for publication the New University, in print or online, contributors relinquish the right to remove or alter contributions as they appear in publication. Contributors also give their ownership rights to the New University.
Site Usage and Copyright: All articles, staff photos and other content on our website are copyrighted by the New University. By viewing our website, you agree not to reproduce or republish our content without express written permission.
