Al Jazeera, the Arab news network that has provided a venue for Osama bin Laden videos, the Muslim Brotherhood and a birthday bash for a convicted murderer, is coming to America.
Al Jazeera Media Network, led and financed by the Al Thani dynasty that has ruled the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar for nearly two centuries, plans to launch the Al Jazeera America (AJA) cable channel Aug. 20 from an anchor desk in New York City.
While the media company is making claims that the U.S. is falling in love with its brand of news, nearly two dozen of its reporters in Egypt quit in protest this month, saying Al Jazeera’s leadership directed them to produce pro-Muslim Brotherhood stories.
Former reporter Haggag Salama told the Gulf News website that Al Jazeera was “airing lies and misleading viewers.”
Still, the media company says it has what the U.S. market is seeking.
“Al Jazeera’s decision to create a U.S.-based news channel was based in part on the fact that Americans have already shown a great demand for its news and programs,” a company statement reads.
The network plans to unleash reporters on U.S. domestic issues, perhaps in the same way that its Arabic channel covers the Muslim world. A third channel, Al Jazeera English, has been broadcasting international stories since 2006 and takes a particularly critical look at the United States.
“They have come a long way,” said Paul Janensch, journalism professor emeritus at Quinnipiac University. “They have been criticized in the past for being pro-Arab. My response to that is: Well, our networks are pro-America. Al Jazeera is not pro-regimes. They are not pro-governments. But they are sympathetic to the Arab culture and the so-called ‘street.’
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