Is Al-Jazeera a reliable news source?

[_Jumper_]

I have started to read news sources from several places in the world but would be remissed if I didn't include an Arab one. Al-Jazeera's site is impressive but is it reliable? What was its response to 9/11?

[thebigidea]

1. they seem to make good targets, how many of their offices have we blown up

[Jim Sagle]

2. They suck.

[_Jumper_]

7. Why?

I would like to see your unbiased opinion on this.;)

[Jim Sagle]

10. You'd have to ask them why they suck. I wish they'd stop.

;-)

[_Jumper_]

12. LOL

:toast:

[_Jumper_]

11. I don't recall

Does anyone remember?

[Jim Sagle]

16. Huh?

:shrug:

[thebigidea]

18. he's asking about those "accidental" missile strikes on Al-J offices

I think it was at least 2, possibly 3 over the past few years...

[izzie]

25. I did not have a PC then to look. But I read them daily.

I see not reason not to see what the news in that part of the world is saying every day. Is it true, well it is not to far off from other news papers I read each day and if it does seem way off I go to papers around the world and start reading. We all see from our own view of the world. The USA seems to know little of the rest of the world.Our news is we are just great and no one is interested in really knowing what is going on in the world.But our army is the most powerful in the world. I think Rome said the same at one time and the people reced to see the games each day. One wonders if we are not doing the same.Read every thing you can find, out side the USA papers.

[burrowowl]

3. Reliable

what does that mean? At least they are a source of what other think and that is important.

[_Jumper_]

5. Do they report news or propaganda?

If they make an attempt to report news objectively I would consider them reliable.

[La_Serpiente]

4. They are harrased by other Arab & Muslim governments

Their reporters are intimidated in Sudan and Saudi Arabia and are even banned in some countries.

They are not perfect, but they are a huge improvement over the state-run news channels. I also appreciate their news services because I can now read about what is going on in Pakistan or Egypt through the perspective of the Arab & Muslim media, not that of the Western world.

Some of the AIPAC supporters on this board and out in the community view it with disgust.

[_Jumper_]

6. What was its take on 9/11?

If it supported the attacks, I will not read it.

[La_Serpiente]

8. I am not sure

they only came out with their English website last year.

Also, they play the mailed-in audiotapes of Bin Laden. I am not sure what the state-sponsored news stations do, but I know Al-Jazeera does it.

Some of the bombings in Iraq are not covered by Reuters or AP. They report the ones that go unoticed by our news media.

[_Jumper_]

13. Thanks for your input

n/t

[sandnsea]

9. Not that simple

I think they probably report things the way they see it. I think they don't think they're propaganda. Just like I guess O'Reilly maybe doesn't think he's propaganda. I don't think Al-Jazeera is controlled like Iraq TV or the Soviet Union. Maybe regional pressure to report things one way, but not controlled. But that's just my opinion. When I read anything from them, I keep in mind I could be totally wrong.

[_Jumper_]

14. Of course it has a tilt regarding ME affairs

But so do Israeli news outlets that I read. I don't mind that as long as it isn't state-run-style propaganda.

[La_Serpiente]

15. I sort of agree with you

They are not necessarily pressured by Arab/Muslim governments, but do follow the trends in the Middle East and Arab/Muslim world.

[TreasonousBastard]

17. Depends on what you mean by reliable...

The management and senior news staff is largely from the BBC, so they have pretty good journalistic training. They are also given free rein by TPTB in their home town, so they're not "state news" by any means. They have the stated purpose of being THE independant and honest Arabic news source. Something the Arab world sorely needs.

However, their audience is Arabic, so they will play to them. This makes them no more "unreliable" than ABC news or Agence France Presse, and there probably will be some definite slant. They'll get the facts largely right, but might slant the viewpoint, just like any other media.

I have been told by an Israeli friend of mine who speaks Arabic, Hebrew, and English, that the Arabic news and website are quite different than the English ones. That's not to say that the Arabic one is throwing out hate and propaganda, but it is playing more to that audience and the English ones playing to us, the Brits, Canucks, etc. This is not unusual in international coverage.

Overall, most reasonable people I've heard from who know something about their operation say Al Jazeera is doing a fairly credible job as a news operation. Not better, but not much worse than most others.

On edit---

I don't remember exactly what I saw on there about 9/11, but I do seem to remember that they played up a bunch of clerics who said Allah wasn't exactly too keen on the idea of such a mass killing of infidels. I don't remember any support for terrorism at all on their site. The English one, anyway.

[bobbyboucher]

19. Are you a reliable poster?

A question along the same lines.

[_Jumper_]

23. No comment

;)

[LDS Jock]

20. As reliable as Fox News

[JCMach1]

21. Reliable as CNN

anyway....

[_Jumper_]

22. Thanks for your input

anyway...

[James T. Kirk]

24. Here is another source.

www.arabnews.com

They are good at reporting day to day activity, but their pro-Saudi bias is evident.

[_Jumper_]

26. Thanks

n/t

[Aidoneus]

27. it is an often excellent news source

the best in the region, and in that ranking I did consider all Israeli papers in that running. Another good Mideast paper is Lebanon's Daily Star, though it is not as 'interesting' in the same sense.

It is true that their bias in some respects is obvious, and that is half of what I like most about them.

[tom_paine]

28. As reliable as Faux "News" by our Xtian Taliban, so no...

No.

[Aidoneus]

30. on what grounds do you say that?

[Kamika]

29. imo they are like the arab worlds fox

What they report is often true but they aren't fond of including oppositional views.


As far as credible..

If you consider Fox credible, Al Jazeera is credible.

[Aidoneus]

31. That is not true at all

At least you added "...What they report is often true...".

They are the oppositional views, and allow a wide range of others. They even let Friedman on.. :eyes:

I know they're not as fond of nuclear genocide and "strong Christian values" as you are, but an attack on such grounds is incorrect.

[Aidoneus]

33. btt

:kick:

[thebigidea]

32. they aren't fond of oppositional views? Where do you get that from?

They have tons of lively debate on the Satellite channel from opposing sides...

"If you consider Fox credible Al Jazeera is credible"

If I were to consider Fox credible, I'd be a RWer. Are you saying Al Jazeera is somehow RW?

could you name a few instances of Al Jazeera's low credibility? Oh, say 3. Hell, make it 2.

Oh, just 1! Name one.

Somehow, I'm getting the feeling you've never actually watched Al Jazeera or read the website.

You'd think that the development of such a channel would be applauded by those that prattle on about "freedom" and "democracy" - it isn't perfect, but its a vast improvement.