Al Jazeera is launching its English language version in the U.S. November 15. I guess Americans just don't get enough terrorist-supporting news from CNN airing video of snipers shooting at American soldiers, so they need Al Jazeera to give 'em more.
Just which lucky Americans will be getting the new network to replace, say, PBS? Well, in journalism parlance, "a network executive refused to say." I guess that's to prevent anyone from protesting the inclusion of the station to one's cable lineup. They won't even disclose who would be insane enough to advertise on Al Jazeera in America, but the executive did say that the network would be receiving "substantial support" from the "wealthy Emir of Qatar" (yet another reason to support alternative energy). And there's more...
According to (the Al Jazeera executive), the network is "confident" that it will be in 30 million to 40 million homes worldwide upon launch, and mentioned cable, satellite and broadband as outlets.
Part of Al Jazeera's potential difficulty in garnering ad support is due to the Bush administration's persistent criticism of the network for biased journalism. Major marketers could be wary of drawing the ire of a federal agency that regulates its business by supporting the network.
Gee, ya think their reporting could be a problem for Americans?! I mean, just because the Arabic version of Al Jazeera has made a name for itself by televising beheadings, Osama bin Laden tapes, anti-Israel rants, and various interviews with terrorists doesn't mean they are biased, right? They're just helping us to understand why jihadis hate us because we can't take them at their word when they say they want a worldwide caliphate!
Brent Bozell III at Media Research Center has been calling for cable choice (where subscribers get to pick which cable stations they receive) for a long time. Many subscribers would love to be able to pick and choose which stations they want, but cable and satellite systems owners don't want subscribers to be able to opt out of stations they either don't watch or which offend them. I suspect the new Al Jazeera will be happy cable choice isn't available.
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