al-Jazeera in Vermont
 

Neatorama points to an NPR story about a battle in Vermont over al-Jazeera’s English-language 24-hr news channel.
I agree that al-Jazeera is probably more than bias toward the bad guys, but there are two points;
1- I'd like to know what the bad guys are being told.
2- More importantly, it's censorship and that's bad, plain and simple.

Right on target.

Keep em. You're never completely useless....you can always be used as a bad example.

The English Al-Jeseera and the Arabic Al-Jeseera, aren't even close on content.

If we're in a war of ideas, it'd be nice to know what we're fighting.

Yeah, what they said. A) At risk of being branded a first amendment absolutist, I have a hard time buying that there's any justification for blocking a news broadcast just because some people (or even most people) think it's biased. B) Know thine enemy.

Yeah, otherwise they'd have to kill FOX News.:haha:

What really burns my nads about any news channel or agency is that they have the balls to look me in the proverbial eye and tell me "were not biased, we just tell the truth".

It is possible that they tell the truth about what they cover, but choosing what to cover is where the bias is. They are all biased towards sensationalistic nonsense, which plays right into the hands of politicians who need face time.

Yeah, lest's dig up Tokyo Rose, and put her on CNN!

That is a very good point, Griff.

I don't really see where the problem lies, myself. The English language Al Jazeera that I have watched is not pushing an islamic agenda, nor is it overtly anti- American, the West, or Israel. What it does do is display a more sympathetic attitude towards, for example, Palestine in its reporting, and is rather more critical about Israel's actions, than most of the English news channels. That said, I don't think it hurts much to have that other perspective out there. Bear in mind, there is a world of difference between being critical of a country's actions or policies, and being anti- that country.

Given that the mainstay of their audience will be the English-speaking and therefore most assimilated portion of the immigrant arab population, it wouldn't be a very popular move to just slam America all the time. Like any news channel, their aim is not to keep their audience as small as humanly possible, therefore limiting themselves purely to the most stridently anti-American parts of the population would be a very poor business model. So far Al Jazeera has shown themselves more than capable of finding a respectable niche within the broadcasting spectrum.

I don't subscribe to any cable service, but if I did, I would be interested in having as many channels as possible that cater to my own interests. I don't picture myself watching al-Jazeera much. But who knows? Maybe I would find it fascinating and watch it all the time.

Especially when they've gone to court several times to defend their right to NOT tell the truth. Fuckin jerks...

Yea. Why not?

I have a hard time listening to any raghead "News Station"
named "Al's Jizz Rah" :headshake

raghead?