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al-Jazeera, Real News or Just Propaganda?

Cardinal said:
I don't know, I've just read the online newspaper, and I've found the writing to be quite good. In my experience they've been mercifully free of the usual click bait and obvious commercials disguised as news stories.
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Yes, that's always been my impression too. AJ was originally formed by a bunch of journalists from the BBC World Service who, when a number of language services were cut back, or simply cut, decided to strike out on their own. They all had BBC training however, and appreciated and tried to transfer those journalistic principles to the new network.

I watch AJ more now than I do the BBC news channels because they simply seem to do it better. Would I be sceptical about their coverage of ME topics, given their funding? No, not really. Every network broadcasting news has its own agenda, bias and editorial position dictated by someone - owners, governments, major sponsors, advertisers - it's unavoidable. Provided you know what those pressures are and where they come from you can watch or read news coverage without being sold a pup or misled. If only all the political, national and economic players behind private media outlets in the west were as transparent as the Qataris involvement with AJ.
 
calamity said:
In light of the controversy surrounding it's attack on Peyton Manning, many people are saying AJ is not a real news organization.
Here's Why ESPN Didn't Break The Peyton Manning Story

Well, it appears this is a legitimate argument.



Well, let's put it this way, I'm sure it doesn't push pro-Semitic and pro-American news. :)
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Kind of a redundant question isn't...there's an obvious bias to all news sites.
 
AJ is propaganda, in the western MSM style.
 
Andalublue said:
Yes, that's always been my impression too. AJ was originally formed by a bunch of journalists from the BBC World Service who, when a number of language services were cut back, or simply cut, decided to strike out on their own. They all had BBC training however, and appreciated and tried to transfer those journalistic principles to the new network.

I watch AJ more now than I do the BBC news channels because they simply seem to do it better. Would I be sceptical about their coverage of ME topics, given their funding? No, not really. Every network broadcasting news has its own agenda, bias and editorial position dictated by someone - owners, governments, major sponsors, advertisers - it's unavoidable. Provided you know what those pressures are and where they come from you can watch or read news coverage without being sold a pup or misled. If only all the political, national and economic players behind private media outlets in the west were as transparent as the Qataris involvement with AJ.
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I began watching AJ about 6 months ago. It is a welcomed change from US infotainment "news" channels. There is none of the flash, none of the news personality caca, none of the flashing graphics and wild arsed background audio effects going to and coming from breaks that you find on US news channels. It's an adult news channel and it is fairly straight forward.

Unfortunately, there isn't enough drama, flash, scandal and blood to keep the attention of American market. I mean that sincerely. AJ provides more depth than American news channels and I doubt that the American news consumer wants that much information. In addition AJ provides a broader world perspective. Americans don't like news about places they can't find on a map - which is pretty much limited to their home state, the coastal states of the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
 
FieldTheorist said:
It's only "Left-wing propaganda" if we call what the DNC supports as being "Left-wing." I don't personally, but we are in agreement that MSNBC is basically pure propaganda for the DNC. Still, at least some parts of the DNC's platform happens to coincide with some reality, a backhanded compliment I can't even pass onto Fox News.

But yes, when I found out some years ago that al-Jazeera was owned by the Qatar government (it's that or the UAE), it made me realize what their ideological axe was.

To be fair, however, I would much rather watch good news with an open bias than crappy (or even good) news with a hidden bias. It's one reason I like The Young Turks, I know pretty much what I'm getting into. You have to fact check some of their statements, but overall you know what to fact check. Secondly, I don't much mind a news organization being listened to with some Arab propaganda --the mainstream US news has so much anti-Arab propaganda, it's at least good for the American public to realize what the two sides are. It is, at this time, culturally relevant for Americans to understand that Muslims are largely peaceful (particularly so in Western countries), that the causes of terrorism are not predominately Islam but there are very real geopolitical issues as well, etc. And Americans need to hear that; I know that I needed to hear that, anyways (Although I hadn't heard that from al-Jazeera, but other sources).
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I do believe it is Qatar and it is in the form of some kind of "loan" from the Emir of Qatar who is a Sheikh high in the royal family. As I recall they use this strange form of funding to fend of claims on pro-Sunni, pro-Qatar reporting.
 
Ironically, Russia Today, the Iranian Press TV, and other competitors accuse AJ of being pro-American in their coverage.
 
Grand Mal said:
Example?
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I have watched AJ on my TV maybe a total of 4 hours. Expecting its viewpoint and perspective to be radically different, I soon discovered that it was not very different at all than the perspective of any of the mainstream media here in the US.
That's just my take.
 
American said:
I've watched it, they're no worse than MSNBC.
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That is my point, thanks. No different than MSNBC, plain vanilla NBC, ABC, Fox or CBS. It is but an organ for government propaganda.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Sometimes exceptionally good, with great reasoning and original ideas, because those bright people who have run astray of the elite class and thus gets shut down by them are looking for places to go to present their arguments.

Sometimes the kooks are the most right people in the room, so it is always good idea to listen it just a tad.

Al Jazeera is a great place to find the kooks.
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Better than Fox?
 
Manc Skipper said:
Ironically, Russia Today, the Iranian Press TV, and other competitors accuse AJ of being pro-American in their coverage.
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They would be wrong. What they mainly are is anti-Israel.
 
I've found Al-Jazeera to be less biased than news entertainment channels like Fox News or CNN. It is still, of course, very biased.
 
Wiggen said:
They would be wrong. What they mainly are is anti-Israel.
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Well when they report about Israel but a majority of their coverage is not about that. I know Al Jazeera English is pretty pro-UK so I would assume Al Jazeera America is pro-US.
 
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