Al-Jazeera

What I found most interesting about the Control Room segment was the theory regarding the toppling of Saddam Hussein statue. The theory went into how it was possible and probable for a number of compelling reasons that the United States staged the reacting before, during, and after the events occurred. Obviously conspiracy theories of the United States government can be found all throughout history, and at this point I would not at all be surprised if they did in fact stage the toppling of the statue. But it was not the theory that interested me so much as they were not only proposing a story against the United States but also going into it with reasons and evidence. We previously learned how the network at one time or another has been very unpopular in the Middle East, even having journalists and reporters being kicked out of almost all the regional countries at one time or another. With this in mind one would think that they must be pro-west if they are anti Middle East. This is because almost all news networks in the United States are pinned against one another. If you are pro-Republican than you are anti-liberal and vice versa. This however, as shown by the theory, is not the case.

Having a network that is not pro-west or pro-Middle East while also not being against either puts Al-Jazeera in it’s own elite class. Not only is it the first of its kind, but more importantly it is able to gain widespread viewshare. Obviously it would not be difficult to find a blog with a hundred monthly views doing and discussing the same thing. However to actually have a whole network devoted to the concert, in addition to having that network be successful, changes everything in terms of reported news. This is what interested me most about the Control Room segment and why Al-Jazeera is interesting as a whole.

Another interesting aspect of the network is how they are also the first of its kind in the Middle East. As American networks have discussed for years, censorship in the media is common in some form or another in all Middle Eastern countries. Although citizens have tried to break this, using social media platforms to speak out and voice their opinions, this form of reporting has produced little overall or long-term success. Al-Jazeera however, has been able to be the voice many suppressed citizens have longed for, discussing topics without the threat of a government takeover. While it may not make up for the issue as a whole, it is certainly a long awaited help to an otherwise silenced nation.

In addition, Al-Jazeera is not only a help to those in the Middle East but also those outside of it. As stated before, many U.S news networks report on how news in the Middle East has very little legitimacy due to government censorship. Therefore, it is easy for American news networks to frame stories again the region. Al-Jazeera however, make this more difficult. Although not as popular as most major U.S networks, it still has the credibility to tell the other side of the story in order to give some actual perspective to the issue. This is what makes the network both important and in a class of its own.