The pre-eminent Arabic news channel. Al-Jazeera is off the air in Egypt. The intermet, cellphones, now a major news source are being blocked by Mubarak and his government.
Now, it is important to understand that even as Al-Jazeera is presented as a factual and unbiased source of news from the Middle East, it is far from the concept of journalism we in the West know it as. Yes they look slick, have many on-air pundits recognized as leaders in their field, as well as all the trappings of the Western media, yet underneath they have an agenda: the promotion, or da'wa of Islam.
Banning any outlet of free speech in the name of "damage control" will only lead to more supression, as those who's voices cannot be heard find other ways to speak, and the authorities become more worried, clamping down even harder, which makes the voices even louder....ad absurdum.
From AP/Yahoo Jan 30 by Brian Murphy
The Qatar-based network has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the unprecedented uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and had faced criticism by some government supporters and other Arab leaders as a forum to inspire more unrest.
Al-Jazeera's flagship Arabic channel has faced numerous bans and backlash across the Arab world, including bitter complaints this month from the Palestinian Authority over allegations that its reporting favored rival Hamas over leaked documents about peace talks with Israel. Al-Jazeera also broadcasts in English.
Uh oh, taking sides like that could get you charged with "Islamophobia"
But the ban by Egyptian officials comes amid one of the most pivotal Arab political showdowns in decades and a possible watershed moment for Arab networks expanding their presence on the web and social media. The blanket coverage offers another example of how border-spanning outlets such as Al-Jazeera and the worldwide reach of the Internet have destroyed the once-unchallenged control of media by governments.
Remember the "Maine?"
Al-Jazeera called the Egyptian ban "an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists."
Yep.
Read it all
Now, it is important to understand that even as Al-Jazeera is presented as a factual and unbiased source of news from the Middle East, it is far from the concept of journalism we in the West know it as. Yes they look slick, have many on-air pundits recognized as leaders in their field, as well as all the trappings of the Western media, yet underneath they have an agenda: the promotion, or da'wa of Islam.
Banning any outlet of free speech in the name of "damage control" will only lead to more supression, as those who's voices cannot be heard find other ways to speak, and the authorities become more worried, clamping down even harder, which makes the voices even louder....ad absurdum.
From AP/Yahoo Jan 30 by Brian Murphy
Arabic broadcaster Al-Jazeera banned in Egypt
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said Sunday that Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of its Cairo news hub overseeing coverage of the country's massive street protests. The station denounced the move as an attempt to "stifle and repress" open reporting.The Qatar-based network has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the unprecedented uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and had faced criticism by some government supporters and other Arab leaders as a forum to inspire more unrest.
Al-Jazeera's flagship Arabic channel has faced numerous bans and backlash across the Arab world, including bitter complaints this month from the Palestinian Authority over allegations that its reporting favored rival Hamas over leaked documents about peace talks with Israel. Al-Jazeera also broadcasts in English.
Uh oh, taking sides like that could get you charged with "Islamophobia"
But the ban by Egyptian officials comes amid one of the most pivotal Arab political showdowns in decades and a possible watershed moment for Arab networks expanding their presence on the web and social media. The blanket coverage offers another example of how border-spanning outlets such as Al-Jazeera and the worldwide reach of the Internet have destroyed the once-unchallenged control of media by governments.
Remember the "Maine?"
Al-Jazeera called the Egyptian ban "an act designed to stifle and repress the freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists."
Yep.
Read it all
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