This past Wednesday saw a landmark event in Arab-Western interactions, though few in the United States will even hear about it. Al Jazeera, the controversial Qatari news corporation that many Americans consider skewed against them, began broadcasting its new English-version channel. As the BBC reports, Al Jazeera English will enter roughly 80 million homes in Africa, Asia and Europe, mostly targeting non-Arabic speaking Muslims around the world.
Al Jazeera has triggered American irritation in the past for its unapologetic and exclusive broadcasts of Osama bin Laden's "messages" and for displaying close-up images of captured American soldiers (in alleged violation of the Geneva Conventions). Testifying to the disconnect between world views, Al Jazeera enjoys a reputation for blunt integrity in the Middle East and for skewed reporting in America.
Insofar as Europeans understand English, they will have the opportunity to access Al Jazeera's unique perspective on world news. We Americans, however, will remain left out of the intrigue, as no American cable or satellite service providers will offer these broadcasts. In the United States, anyone curious about Al Jazeera English will need a broadband connection and a bit of Internet savvy, confining the audience to political "techies."
This snub, while not momentous in itself, is emblematic of a much broader problem facing America.
In short, we do not pay enough attention to foreign news sources. When we endeavor to learn about the world around us, we are usually quite content to use the familiar domestic press and media. Of course, this is only natural and indeed, many of our domestic news services do a passable job in covering foreign affairs. Still, this coverage comes to us strained through an American perspective. Even at its objective best, it cannot escape this fact.
Yet, the inevitable biases of journalism are what make something like Al Jazeera English valuable to Western viewers. Even excluding Turkey, Europe is home to many millions of Muslims — France alone has between 5 and 6 million, and the UK has almost 2 million. These sizable Muslim populations alone give Europe good reason to take interest in this new station. It gives Europeans an opportunity to understand the values and perspectives of an increasing percentage of the population. The inveterate biases of Al Jazeera's broadcasts make these perspectives all the clearer.
Americans, too, would stand to benefit from access to such a network. Although Middle Eastern Muslims make up a smaller percentage of the population here than in Europe, the importance of making a special effort to understand the region and its people is quite plain. Regardless of how Iraq turns out, the greater Middle East will continue to serve as a focal point and thorn in the side of American foreign policy. As the State Department scrambles for speakers of Arabic and rummages for regional experts, all signs point to a long and tricky American involvement in the Middle East. We citizens would do well to get familiar with the region — not just through our domestic media, but through the media of others.
America's cable and satellite service providers have a role to play, too. Sometimes supply can create demand. While the number of Americans clamoring for Al Jazeera broadcasts cannot be overwhelming or insatiable, we should be willing to wager that there are plenty of Americans curious about what Al Jazeera has to say. After all, we do love television.
If we are to develop a better sense of the world around them — particularly the Middle East — we must venture outside our comfort zones of CNN, Fox and the popular press. American television providers also have a role and responsibility to fulfill, as they provide the lens through which Americans view the world. Let us hope that Al Jazeera English — biases and all — finds its way onto American television sets and that we are not left out in the cold for long.
Frank Hennick ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in history and international studies.
