# so what do you think about Al-Jazeera international? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 7, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209 "2006-12-07T13:17:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wildfire\_MM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Wildfire\_MM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildfire_MM)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/1 "2006-12-07T13:17:29Z")
the news-channel Al-Jazeera international was launched this fall It haves many similarities with BBC world if you ask me so what’s your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/2 "2006-12-07T14:01:53Z")
How do you watch it, cable, satellite? I see it’s on DVB on IA5. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/3 "2006-12-07T14:27:31Z")
[QUOTE=Wildfire\*\*MM] the news-channel Al-Jazeera international was launched this fall It haves many similarities with BBC world if you ask me so what’s your opinion? [/QUOTE] It’s very good IMHO. It’s good to watch stuff that isn’t so western-centric. It’s certainly a lot less USA-biased than CNN in the UK incarnation of each. You see stuff on palestine, lebanon and africa you just never see anywhere else. And some interesting interviews with US and iranian talking heads. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/4 "2006-12-07T18:10:20Z")
From what I understand (recent news article) it’s pretty hard to get in the US since many consider it “The Terrorist Channel”. :rolleyes: Frankly, I’d tune in pretty often _if_ I could get it. I think it’s important to see some of the things our western media won’t show and, similarly, I’d like to see what kind of propoganda crap many middle eastern viewers are being fed as well. I did see that Dave Marash was a correspondent for them. I think that lends some instant cred right there. C’mon Dish Network, make it an option. Heck, I’d pay extra for it, no prob. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/5 "2006-12-07T19:23:03Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] many consider it “The Terrorist Channel”. [/QUOTE] I mentioned that it is on DVB satellite. I used to watch Al Manar on DVB, not realizing it was an organ of Hezbollah. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/6 "2006-12-07T19:46:29Z")
I’d watch it. I e-mailed DirecTV to ask if they’d be carrying it, and got a canned response – the usual “We’re always reviewing our programming”. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/7 "2006-12-08T01:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=Wildfire\*\*MM] It haves many similarities with BBC world if you ask me [/QUOTE] A very sad commentary on the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/8 "2006-12-08T01:55:53Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] From what I understand (recent news article) it’s pretty hard to get in the US since many consider it “The Terrorist Channel”. :rolleyes: . [/QUOTE] Yeah, why would anyone think that? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/9 "2006-12-08T02:02:36Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] Yeah, why would anyone think that? :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Because they are a big fat dummy? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/10 "2006-12-08T03:28:26Z")
I get it here on a sat channel and it’s not bad. I’ve only seen it a couple of times, but they have this insanely good looking woman anchor, don’t know her name. I still prefer BBC world. If you want to see a terrorist channel, there is a pro-Sunni insurgency channel out of Dubai that shows nothing but clips of IEDs and sniper attacks in Baghdad set to music interspersed with talking heads calling for death to a long list of people. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/11 "2006-12-08T03:52:58Z")
[QUOTE=madmonk28] If you want to see a terrorist channel, there is a pro-Sunni insurgency channel out of Dubai that shows nothing but clips of IEDs and sniper attacks in Baghdad set to music interspersed with talking heads calling for death to a long list of people. [/QUOTE] What kind of music do you set clips of IEDs and sniper attacks to? Yakety Sax? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/12 "2006-12-08T04:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] What kind of music do you set clips of IEDs and sniper attacks to? Yakety Sax? [/QUOTE] It’s traditonal Arabic music with vocals; there is this one crazy-creepy loop of sniper attacks over a children’s choir. On Thanksgiving we sat around getting drunk watching it and making smart ass remarks and we chose to hum the Benny Hill music (that music they used at the end when everyone chased him and the film sped up). Its funny because we had gone into the Green Zone for Thanksgiving which is really pretty safe and all the people whol lived in the Zone hated the channel, but every single one of us who live in the “Red Zone” (ie Iraq) couldn’t get enough of it. We called it the boom boom channel. I think we were getting a sadistic pleasure out of freaking out the Zoners. Back to the OP, Al Jazeera isn’t that bad. I’d say some of it’s editorial content skews to the insurgency the same way Fox skews to the Republicans. It’s important to get opposing views of the world. I would point out that my Arabic speaking friends tell me the English channel dials back their slant as compared to the Arabic version. I don’t speak Arabic, so I can’t say. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/13 "2006-12-08T04:12:19Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Because they are a big fat dummy? 🙂 [/QUOTE] Naw, I am guessing it might be the insider videos from car bombings, ambushes, etc… Even a big fat dummy could see it. But apparently some people aren’t as smart as a big, fat dummy. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/14 "2006-12-08T04:24:09Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] Naw, I am guessing it might be the insider videos from car bombings, ambushes, etc… Even a big fat dummy could see it. But apparently some people aren’t as smart as a big, fat dummy. [/QUOTE] But as journalists, aren’t they just doing their job? Wouldn’t you expect a journalist covering Iraq to try to get access to insurgents and report the story? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/15 "2006-12-08T04:40:56Z")
[QUOTE=madmonk28] It’s traditonal Arabic music with vocals; there is this one crazy-creepy loop of sniper attacks over a children’s choir. On Thanksgiving we sat around getting drunk watching it and making smart ass remarks and we chose to hum the Benny Hill music (that music they used at the end when everyone chased him and the film sped up). [/QUOTE] That would be Yakety Sax. ---
**Author:** ![Wildfire\_MM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Wildfire\_MM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildfire_MM)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/16 "2006-12-08T07:09:07Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] From what I understand (recent news article) it’s pretty hard to get in the US since many consider it “The Terrorist Channel”. :rolleyes: Frankly, I’d tune in pretty often _if_ I could get it. I think it’s important to see some of the things our western media won’t show and, similarly, I’d like to see what kind of propoganda crap many middle eastern viewers are being fed as well. I did see that Dave Marash was a correspondent for them. I think that lends some instant cred right there. C’mon Dish Network, make it an option. Heck, I’d pay extra for it, no prob. [/QUOTE] I thought this was launched world wide terrorist channel??? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/17 "2006-12-08T07:37:47Z")
[QUOTE=madmonk28] I would point out that my Arabic speaking friends tell me the English channel dials back their slant as compared to the Arabic version. I don’t speak Arabic, so I can’t say. [/QUOTE] Probably very true, but not necessarily any more than CNN and Fox are adjusted for their different audiences in their own international versions. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/18 "2006-12-08T09:51:07Z")
[QUOTE=Wildfire\*\*MM] terrorist channel??? [/QUOTE] No, Al Manar is The Terrorist Channel. From “[The New Yorker](http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/021014fa_fact4)”: > [@](#): > > I began by asking him [Al Manar’s news director Hassan Fadlallah] to compare Al Manar and the most famous Arabic satellite channel, Al Jazeera. “Neutrality like that of Al Jazeera is out of the question for us,” Fadlallah said. “We cover only the victim, not the aggressor. CNN is the Zionist news network, Al Jazeera is neutral, and Al Manar takes the side of the Palestinians.” > > [snip] > > “We’re not looking to interview Sharon,” Fadlallah said. “We want to get close to him in order to kill him.” ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/19 "2006-12-08T11:52:33Z")
[QUOTE=madmonk28] But as journalists, aren’t they just doing their job? Wouldn’t you expect a journalist covering Iraq to try to get access to insurgents and report the story? [/QUOTE] The videos they show are made as propoganda for the terrorists usually BY the terrorists themselves, not by journalists. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209/20 "2006-12-08T11:59:20Z")
FYI, David Frost now works for this station. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-think-about-al-jazeera-international/383209.md?page=2)