Is WorldLink TV the U.S.' Version of Al-Jazeera?
Electronic Media/December 30, 2002

Al-Jazeera doesn't air in an English-language version (yet). But anyone with a DirecTV or EchoStar dish has access to WorldLink TV, a scrappy little news and documentary channel based in San Francisco. WorldLink is so different from anything else on American TV you might wonder if it's even transmitting from inside our borders.

Al-Jazeera: Media Pariah or Pioneer?
Jonathan Higgin/Satellite Broadband/April 1, 2002

Before Sept. 11, only media cognoscenti had even heard of Al-Jazeera. Since then, many have come either to associate Al-Jazeera with the controversial tag "Taliban TV," while others have hailed approvingly at the "CNN of the Arabic world." Many Western governments have demonized the Qatar-based satellite channel as the ³mouthpiece² of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

For news, S. Africa may shun the West
Christian Science Monitor, January 9, 2003

The country's state-run news station considers replacing CNN with the Arabic Al Jazeera.

When South Africa's state-run news station ends its programming day, it switches over to CNN to offer something for the country's insomniacs.

If the Atlanta-based service has kept its small audience entertained between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., it has done so with little excitement. But last week, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said it was considering replacing CNN with Al Jazeera, the Qatar- based news service.

Al-Jazeera Draws Flak Outside -- and Inside -- the Arab World
John Daniszewski/Los Angeles Times/January 5, 2003

When a top-ranking Al-Qaeda operative was nabbed in the Pakistani city of Karachi in September, the rumor on the Arab streets was that Western intelligence agencies had traced him there with the help of Al-Jazeera television.

Top Arab TV network to hit US market
Cameron W. Barr, The Christian Science Monitor, December 26, 2002

Coming to a screen near you: Al Jazeera in English.

The Arabic-language news network, notorious for broadcasting the statements of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda colleagues, plans to open an English- language website in early 2003 and begin distributing English-language news programming by satellite and cable late next year.

Al-Jazeera: Hits, Misses and Ricochets
Ian Urbina/Asia Times/December 26, 2002

Few could have predicted that a satellite television station would cause so much trouble. But once again, Qatari-based Al-Jazeera has become a lightening rod for controversy.

U.S. Should Wake Up and Use Al-Jazeera
Mohammed el-Nawawy/Christian Science Monitor/November 18, 2002

The U.S. has learned from its war in Afghanistan that winning an information battle can sometimes be more important than scoring a military victory. Now that the U.S. and the Middle East are on a collision course over military action against Iraq, American officials need to exert more effort to communicate with the Arab people through effective channels like the Al-Jazeera satellite network.

US studies message of hate 'from bin Laden'
Toby Harnden/Telegraph (London)/ November 13, 2002)

American intelligence agents were last night studying an audio tape broadcast by the Arab television network al-Jazeera that purportedly proves Osama bin Laden is still alive.

Officials: Voice on Tape is Bin Laden
Jack Kelley/USA Today/November 13, 2002

A preliminary U.S. intelligence analysis has concluded that a new audiotape said to be from Osama bin Laden is authentic and might prove that he's alive, senior U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday night. "It's bin Laden on the tape," an official involved in the analysis said of the recording, broadcast Tuesday. "There's no question."

Al-Jazeera Ordered to Pay Damages
Agence France-Press/November 12, 2002

A Kuwaiti court ordered Qatar-based satellite television channel Al-Jazeera on Tuesday to pay compensation to a group of Kuwaiti lawyers who sued the station for defamation.

Al-Jazeera Comes Under Fire
National Public Radio/ Kate Seelye/November 11, 2002

The station's coverage is creating political problems between host country Qatar and its Arab neighbors.

Kuwaiti Decision to Close Al-Jazeera Office Criticized
New California Media/November 6, 2002

The general secretary of Journalists Without Borders demanded that Kuwaiti authorities reverse its decision to close down Kuwait¹s Al-Jazeera office last Sunday.

Al-Jazeera to Launch English Language Channel in Europe
Arab News/November 2, 2002

Al-Jazeera is planning to target the English language market for the first time. The Qatar-based station will, in the first quarter of 2003, begin dubbing its news, commentaries and current affairs programs into English for non-Arabic speakers.

'Bin Laden' Threatens More Attacks
BBC/October 6, 2002

Osama Bin Laden has issued a new threat to strike U.S. economic interests,according to Al-Jazeera, which broadcast a two-minute recording of what it said was the voice of bin Laden.

Scrappy Al-Jazeera Stands Up
Susan Taylor Martin/St. Petersburg Times/September 22, 2002

Whether Al-Jazeera is dangerously biased against the West has become a hot topic of debate since the terrorist attacks. Before Sept. 11, it was generally praised by Western governments and others as a breath of fresh air in the tightly controlled Arab media world. Since then, it has been viewed as a more sinister force.

'Bin Laden's Voice' on Arab TV
BBC/September 9, 2002

Al-Jazeera has broadcast footage in which it says Osama Bin Laden can be heard talking about the hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks.

Slip of Tongue in Interview 'Betrays Secret that Bin Laden is Dead'
Dominic Kennedy/Times of London/September 9, 2002

During two days of interviews, Mr Mohammed referred to bin Laden, who has not been seen since the fall of Afghanistan¹s Taleban regime, in the past tense. The reporter Yosri Fouda, London bureau chief for Al-Jazeera, concluded that bin Laden is now likely to be dead.

Al-Jazeera Claims It Has Confession on 9/11 Attacks
Reuters/September 5, 2002

Al-Jazeera said on Thursday it had confessions from two men it identified as members of al-Qaeda, claiming the group was responsible for the September 11 attacks. The channel said the two men were former room mates of Mohamed Atta.

Telling All Sides of the Story Isn't Easy for Al-Jazeera
Candace Hickman/Seattle Post-Intelligencer/July 25, 2002

Hafez al-Mirazi is used to the accusations: On any given day, if Al-Jazeera is not shoveling propaganda for one government, it's too busy doing it for another. Anti-American. Anti-Arab. Anti-Israel.

Al-Jazeera Offends Saudi Arabia Again
Reuters/July 24, 2002

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Qatar have plunged to a new low over programs aired by Al-Jazeera that were seen as an affront to the Saudi royal family.

Bin Laden 'on TV soon'
BBC/June 23, 2002

Osama Bin Laden is alive, well and will make a video statement soon, according to a recording said to be of an al-Qaeda spokesman and broadcast on Al-Jazeera.

Israeli TV Ban
Agence France-Press/June 19, 2002

The Arab League is drafting a resolution calling on "Arab media not to allow Israeli officials to address Arab public opinion in their attempt to justify agression." It seems to target Al-Jazeera, since Qatar has so far refused to force Al-Jazeera not to air the comments of Israeli officials on the Middle East conflict.

Bahrain Bans Al Jazeera TV
BBC/May 10, 2002

Bahrain has banned Al Jazeera from reporting from inside the Gulf state, Information Minister Nabil al-Hamr said. Mr al-Hamr said the ban was being imposed because the station was biased towards Israel and against Bahrain.

America's Latest Air Campaign: Broadcasting For Peace In The Middle East
Arianna Huffington/ariannaonline.com/May 9, 2002

When it comes to substance, Al-Jazeera shamelessly plays to the nastiest corner on the Arab street, offering a frighteningly familiar -- and toxic -- mix of virulent anti-Americanism and unrelenting anti-Semitism.

What's Heard in the Street Is Spread by Satellite
Marc D. Charney/The New York Times/April 28, 2002

Excerpts from transcripts of broadcasts by CNN and Al-Jazeera on recent days when dramatic events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were unfolding, hints at differences in the very outlook of television journalism, as practiced in the United States and Qatar.

How Images of Death Became Must-See TV
Azadeh Moaveni/Time/April 29, 2002

Uncensored, except for news dealing with Qatar, and available throughout the Middle East via satellite, Al-Jazeera is bringing unprecedentedly graphic images of Palestinians bloodied by Israeli violence straight into Arab homes and cafes.

Broadcasting the War
Max Rodenbeck/The New York Times/April 17, 2002

Never, in a half century of Middle Eastern conflict, have ordinary Arabs so identified with the Palestinian tragedy as they do today. As network coverage of Vietnam shocked Americans with the immediacy of a far-off war, satellite television's insistent, graphic imagery of the intifada has taken its bloody drama into millions of Arab households.

Crisis Deepens Impact of Arab TV News
Tim Golden/The New York Times/April 16, 2002

Media experts noted that while Al-Jazeera had been breaking new ground since it was founded in 1996, a big gap has remained between the news produced by it and a few other Arab satellite channels and the far less aggressive fare on the state-run networks watched by most of the region's poor. That gap, however, has all but disappeared in coverage of the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians.

Sharon's Al-Jazeera Interview Cancelled at Last Minute
Ha'aretz/March 27, 2002

Qatar-based satellite TV station Al-Jazeera cancelled a planned interview with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which was due to be broadcast Tuesday, after Palestinian leaders called on the station not go ahead with the interview.

Inside Al-Jazeera
Rick Zednik/Columbia Journalism Review/March-April 2002

It feels like an American newsroom at first, until you notice the details. While a few of the monitors are tuned to CNN, BBC, and AP Television News, most are set to stations from across the Arab world: Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Beirut-based Al Manar, and the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC).

News From an Arab Perspective
Middle East Insight/March-April 2002

In an extensive interview, Al-Jazeera's Washington Bureau Chief, Hafez Al-Mirazi, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the workings of the network and its transformatiom from regional to international media phenomenon.

Mass Media Can Battle Mass Destruction
Newton N. Minow/USA Today/March 19, 2002

Al-Jazeera teaches an important lesson: The global marketplace of news and information is no longer dominated by the United States. Whether the message is one of hate or peace, in the globalized communications environment it is impossible either to silence those who send the message or stop those who want to receive it.

The Osama Shortfall
Katarzyna Moreno/Forbes/March 4, 2002

Broadcasting bin Laden's ramblings will likely cost Al-Jazeera $4 million in lost advertising -- perhaps a quarter of its annual revenue. The Saudi government didn't like the pro-Osama war coverage, sources close to the network say, and pressured Saudi-based companies and other multinationals to boycott it.

Al-Jazeera in English? CNN in Arabic?
Tiare Rath/The Daily Star(Beirut)/February 7, 2002

In January, Al-Jazeera decided to break the communication barrier by broadcasting with English subtitles 12 hours a day in the United States. Around the same time, CNN announced that it was jumping into the Arab market by launching its Arabic-language website, based in Dubai.

Cheney Warned Al-Jazeera About bin Laden Tapes
CNN/February 2, 2002

A day before Al-Jazeera network interviewed Osama bin Laden, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney urged the network to act "in a more responsible and representative way" when reporting on the suspected terrorist mastermind, a senior administration source told CNN Friday. In a meeting with with the emir of Qatar, Cheney said the network ran the risk of being labeled "Osama's outlet to the world."

News Channels at War: Al-Jazeera Accused of Hiding bin Laden
Oliver Burkeman/The Guardian/February 2, 2002

"We decided under the circumstances at that time that airing the interview would have strengthened the belief that we are a mouthpiece for Bin Laden," an anonymous Al-Jazeera journalist told Reuters. But Bin Laden also uses the interview to attack the Gulf state of Qatar, where Al-Jazeera is based, for supporting the war on terrorism, raising the suspicion that the channel did not want to upset its host state.

Networks Row Over bin Laden Tape
BBC/February 1, 2002

A row has broken out between the American network CNN and the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera over the broadcasting of an interview with Osama bin Laden.

In October Interview, bin Laden Hinted at Role
Jim Rutenberg/The New York Times/February 1, 2002

In a television interview Osama bin Laden gave in late October, he said the anthrax attacks last fall were "a punishment from God" and hinted in vague language at having a hand in the Sept. 11 attacks. The interview was conducted by the Arab television network Al Jazeera, but was not shown until last night on CNN, which said it obtained a copy independently and showed it against Al Jazeera's wishes.

Bin Laden's Sole Post-September 11 TV Interview Aired
CNN/January 31, 2002

The interview was conducted by the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network in late October. Al-Jazeera decided not to televise it. CNN has obtained the videotape and began airing it Thursday night.

Read Al-Jazeera's statement on CNN's airing of the interview.

Interview transcript and analysis by Peter Bergen and Jerrold Post.

Al-Jazeera obtained an exclusive interview with Osama bin Laden in October, but never broadcast it, partly because it revealed how much Mr. bin Laden had intimidated the network's correspondent, according to U.S. and Middle Eastern government officials. The decision also followed a meeting between U.S. VP Dick Cheney and the Emir of Qatar.

Osama bin Laden said on Wednesday that the West loathed Islam, and that the September 11 attacks were aimed at U.S. support for Israel. "Our terrorism against the United States is worthy of praise to deter the oppressor so that America stop its support for Israel, which is killing our children,'' he said in a video broadcast by Al-Jazeera.

It's the event that strategists in President Bush's administration fear most: a grinning Osama bin Laden crackling on to the airwaves courtesy of Al-Jazeera to trumpet his escape from Tora Bora and denounce the West.

Some Pakistani cable operators say that the government has ordered them to stop offering Al-Jazeera. There is speculation that this could be linked to recent rumours that Osama bin Laden is getting set for an "especially dramatic" broadcast on the station.

From watching Al-Jazeera for any length of time, it's clear that it takes a consistently hostile stance toward the U.S. In Al-Jazeera's world, the Taliban is invariably an underdog force, the U.S. looms as an occupying power, and Egypt and other moderate Arab states have knuckled under to the superpower's pressure.

The professor agreed to sit next to me for awhile and translate the Qatar-based news outlet's 3:30 p.m. report so I could see for myself what has the U.S. government and some American journalists so knotted up.

The U.S. is considering a plan to spend $500 million to launch a satellite channel that would compete with Al-Jazeera and be aimed at younger Muslims who are seen as anti-American.

Did the U.S. mean to hit the Kabul offices of Al-Jazeera TV? Some journalists are convinced it was targeted for being on the "wrong side." Nik Gowing, a presenter on BBC World, argues that Al-Jazeera's only crime was that it was "bearing witness" to events that the U.S. would rather it did not see.

Al-Jazeera's defenders tend to applaud its independence from the censors who control state-sponsored outlets in the Arab world, but its virulent anti-American bias undercuts all of its virtues. It is, in the final analysis, a dangerous force. And it should treated as such by Washington.

Ali Abunimah disputes Ajami's assertions.

More commentary on Ajami's article.

Al-Jazeera's chief editor claims the U.S. had wanted to bomb its Kabul office since the war began, but that it waited until the BBC reopened its bureau there because it didn't want to knock the only Kabul-based broadcaster off the air.

Al-Jazeera says its Washington correspondent, who was arrested in the U.S. has now been released. Mohammad al-Alami was detained as he was on his way to cover the Russian-American summit in Texas. He said police told him that the credit card of the al-Jazeera office contained information connected with what is going on in Afghanistan.

Al-Jazeera may soon be forced to pull all of its staff out of the country. The broadcaster, which is seen as pro-Taliban by the Northern Alliance forces now advancing south of Kabul, has advised its staff to leave the country.

When the U.S. berates and then bombs the media it may be a war crime. There can be no doubt that the offices of cable network al-Jazeera were a civilian target. Bombing civilian targets is barred under just about every international convention you care to mention.

Col. Brian Hoey, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said that U.S. aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on the building in question, based on "compelling" evidence that the facility was being used by the al Qaeda terrorist organization. At the time of the attack, he said, "the indications we had was that this was not an al-Jazeera office."

Managing director Mohammed Jasim al-Ali would not speculate as to whether the offices were deliberately targeted, but said the location of the bureau was widely known by everyone, including the Americans. "This office has been known by everybody, the American airplanes know the location of the office, they know we are broadcasting from there," he said.

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