Al-Jazeera Calls on U.S. to Ensure Free Press

[Ali]

Al-Jazeera Calls on U.S. to Ensure Free Press

Wed March 26, 2003 05:25 PM ET

By Merissa Marr, European Media Correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - Banned on Wall Street and wiped off the Internet, Arab news channel al-Jazeera defended its controversial coverage of the Iraq war on Wednesday and demanded the United States come to its aid in the name of a free press.

Al-Jazeera, which angered Washington by showing footage of dead and captured American soldiers, voiced concern after two of its reporters were banned from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and its Web sites were hacked.

The NYSE stopped al-Jazeera broadcasts, saying credentials were only for networks that provided "responsible" coverage. Al-Jazeera was also denied a request to broadcast live from New York's Nasdaq exchange.

"There has to be a national effort to protect the freedom of the press even more," said al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout.

"We appeal to authorities to pay attention to this."

Al-Jazeera has taken the Arab world by storm since its launch in 1996, with its controversial reporting and brash, Western style drawing an audience of more than 35 million.

After making its name in the Afghan war with exclusive footage of Osama bin laden, the Qatar-based satellite channel has also had success in Europe, with viewers doubling since the start of the Iraq war.

But the CNN of the Arab world raised U.S. ire when on Sunday it aired shaken U.S. prisoners of war and dead U.S. soldiers with gaping bullet wounds, prompting the Pentagon to issue a rare appeal to U.S. networks not to use the footage.

Al-Jazeera on Wednesday showed pictures of what it said were two dead British soldiers and two British prisoners of war.

EUROPEAN VIEWERS DOUBLE

In Europe, al-Jazeera said it had signed up more than four million subscribers in the past week. But in the United States, it has drawn little more than 100,000 subscribers.

"In Europe, we're naturally most popular in countries with big Muslim populations like France. In Britain, we've also seen a pick up in non-Arabic-speaking Muslims," Ballout said.

Viewers, who subscribe through local satellite operators, are glued to the pictures even if they cannot understand the words. There are no English-language subtitles.

Media pundits said the NYSE decision smacked of a dangerous opening salvo in a game of media tit-for-tat which could see Western media's access cut off. Iraq last week ordered CNN journalists to leave Baghdad.

"Clearly, it is a violation of press freedom," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a media watchdog group in Washington, D.C.

Al-Jazeera's new English-language Web site (http:english.aljazeera.net), which went live on Monday, and its Arabic-language site (www.aljazeera.net) were downed by a hacker attack on Tuesday and Wednesday

[Ali]

I would like to repeat myself.

The American government are a bunch of cowards!

[Hizbullah]

(bismillah)

(salam)

What is important for us to have in mind is that not only Al Jazeera showed the POWs and the dead americans(the murtazaqah haha :D ) but also abu dhabi, almanar, and a lot of tv stations. So you would ask, why all this noise about al jazeera? Well, it is because Al Jazeera instead of doing something in favor of the coalition forces, it did something against them. And i dont know if you saw Jack abou zeid(a general(i think) of the us army)telling the guy of al jazeera that he was very disappointed with them because they had shown that video. So why did the US get mad at al jazeera and didnt even care about the rest of the tv channels? Because they are close friends and if the friend hurts the other it is seen as a BIG mistake. You know what i mean. It is said that al jazeera was made and is being directed by the mossad(Note: not the CIA but the mossad!!). so that leaves a lot to wonder about.

wa salam

[jonny_eh]

I would like to repeat myself.

The American government are a bunch of cowards!

If the Americans didn't go to war, wouldn't that also make them cowards?

[avicenna]

>Salaam alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Brakatuh

>

>Please forward this to all your friends so that it can

>expose the Western news channels for being the lying

>propaganda merchants that they are. Particularly the non-muslims who do not have access to anything other than the biased British media.

>

>Al-Jazeera Uncovered the Truth / Horrific Images from Iraq

>

>Horrific images have been shown today(Saturday 22nd March) on the Arabic satellite channel Aljazeera of the victims of U.S. bombardment of Al-Basra and the positions of two Islamic groups in Iraq's Kurdistan. The Al-Basra victims, 50 of whom have met their death while more than a hundred have been wounded, were all civilians. It is extremely worrying that these reports and images, which have been carried out or shown on Aljazeera TV and are posted on the Aljazeera website: (http://www.aljazeera.net/news/arabic/2003/3/3-22-26.htm) have not been reported or shown on any of the British or American TV stations.

>

>According to reports from Washington, the U.S. authorities are imposing a total blackout on these reports and the images of the victims. Since the start of this war both American and British military and political spokespersons have been boasting of a "precise targeting". Faced with massive opposition to the war, both domestically and internationally, both governments have been concerned about any reaction to reports of indiscriminate killing or maiming of Iraqis.

>

>Although, such critical reports of human deaths and suffering were supported by evidence and broadcasted through international media such as Al-Jazeera, the British media has failed miserably to report civilian casualties of American and British military forces' use of overwhelming force to attack Iraq.

>

>Mainstream British media's continuous failure to maintain unbiased reporting of events taking place in Iraq, casts dark shadow upon its so called democratic values of journalistic conduct, sadly at the same time questioning integrity of some elements of the media.

>

>The British public only demands to know what is going on, what is the truth, so it is the responsibility of the media to exercise unbiased reporting during such a critical time.

>

>We call on all of you to contact the media and ask them why they did not show these images!!

>

>Uncover the truth:

>

>http://www.aljazeera.net/news/arabic/2003/3/3-22-26.htm

[rdw]

The Iraqi regime kicked CNN out of Iraq knowing Al Jazeera would grease the propaganda machine coming out of Saddam's regime. Look, there is no good reason to show close up photo's of dead soldiers regardless of what nation their fighting -- and dying - for. Those soldiers killed on the battlefield have loved ones left behind. Those loved ones should not be subjected to viewing images of their loved ones dismembered, bloody or otherwise ravaged by war.

Al Jazeera did show both American slain and Iraqi slain. The former, presented to whip up the arab world in dreams of victory. The latter, to incite anger & hatred in a direct emotional attack against the US & UK.

If you call that fair & balanced, then you are trying to delude yourself but, you will not delude us. Al-jazeera crossed the boundary of decency in a mad scramble to release the 1st pics of dead US soldiers.What was not discussed is that al-jazeera shows many pics of injured iraqis, in trying to keep a balanced opinion on middle eastern news...however, the pro-islam labeling al-jazeera gets is of course warranted; we all have seen or heard excerpts of al-qaeda, saddam, hamas from al-jazeera...they are the front runners in middle eastern media and should have acted responsibly...to turn around after blatant disregard of "unwritten" media rules and demand US fight on their behalf for the freedom of press is downright laughable

[winston]

rdw Posted: Mar 27 2003, 01:01 AM 

Group: Members

Posts: 114

Member No.: 1507

Joined: 2-February 03

The Iraqi regime kicked CNN out of Iraq knowing Al Jazeera would grease the propaganda machine coming out of Saddam's regime. Look, there is no good reason to show close up photo's of dead soldiers regardless of what nation their fighting -- and dying - for. Those soldiers killed on the battlefield have loved ones left behind. Those loved ones should not be subjected to viewing images of their loved ones dismembered, bloody or otherwise ravaged by war

The grease and spin is going on both sides. CNN reported that the Iraqi general in Basra has surrendered with his 8000 troops, CNN further reported, after the speech of Saddam when he was praising the Basra general, that Saddam speech was prerecorded before the initial attack, and the next day the Basra General appeared on Al-Jazeera saying he had not surrendered and was still in Basra, CNN then reported an imposter general had surrendered instead.

To call CNN or FOX to be rsponsible networks is just as laughable. Looks to me this war is going to go on for many months as CNN is now reporting, so there will be a lot of spinning and greasing in the coming months.

[winston]

jonny_eh Posted: Mar 27 2003, 12:08 AM 

 

I would like to repeat myself.

The American government are a bunch of cowards!

If the Americans didn't go to war, wouldn't that also make them cowards?

In essence what you are saying is that the americans went to war just to show that they are machos. Its a hell of a way to prove a point. War divides people and is never the solution.

[a12]

(salam)

CNN = Constipated News Network

nothing more !!

:shaytan:

Edited March 27, 2003 by a12

[akhbari]

salaam

america at war - why. i had posted an article/thread called - prognosis of war. do browse it.

america will go to any length to make certain its point of view is heard thruought the world. what u are seeing everyday is a miniscule part. more is yet to come - so brace ur $%^&* for the future. there will be many opportunities.

akhbari

[nada88]

there is no good reason to show close up photo's of dead soldiers regardless of what nation their fighting

good reason ??? is there a good reason better than

democracy !!!

isnt democracy the GOOD reason for waging this war

for the beginning ??

so let democracy prevail !!! :angry:

[morassofnegativity]

If you watch Al Jazeera you would think that the coalition forces have not even left Kuwait yet. The only coverage Al Jazeera shows is coalition forces in battles apearing as if they lost but in reality are not. That's silly since we all now the truth. That being the coalition has taken better care of and is treating the 4000 Iraqi POWs better, they have not executed any surrendering troops, they are not pretending to be Iraq fighters and then turning on the Iraqi people. Talk about nonsense.

Al Jazeera has no problem spinning for the Iraqi regime simple b/c they are Muslims. Not only is that a slap in the face the Muslims who have suffered b/c of Saddam - it's stupid. If you listen to the Iraqi spokespeople everthing is fine, they are winning the war, they are going to be just dandy. Of course, no questions asked by the Al Jazeera people.

Please, just b/c something is Muslims or somebody is Muslim doesn't mean they are not full of @#%$.

[Dhulfiqar]

If you watch Al Jazeera you would think that the coalition forces have not even left Kuwait yet. The only coverage Al Jazeera shows is coalition forces in battles apearing as if they lost but in reality are not. That's silly since we all now the truth. That being the coalition has taken better care of and is treating the 4000 Iraqi POWs better, they have not executed any surrendering troops, they are not pretending to be Iraq fighters and then turning on the Iraqi people. Talk about nonsense.

Al Jazeera has no problem spinning for the Iraqi regime simple b/c they are Muslims. Not only is that a slap in the face the Muslims who have suffered b/c of Saddam - it's stupid. If you listen to the Iraqi spokespeople everthing is fine, they are winning the war, they are going to be just dandy. Of course, no questions asked by the Al Jazeera people.

Please, just b/c something is Muslims or somebody is Muslim doesn't mean they are not full of @#%$.

You've watched Al-Jazeera?

[morassofnegativity]

I see stuff from Al Jazeera all the time b/c the news channels (all of them I might add) use them for a lot of footage. If you read the papers you see things like, in an interview with Al Jazeera an Iraqi official said.......

[Adamas]

I would like to repeat myself.

The American government are a bunch of cowards!

You still here? Short of funds to go back and offer your help. I'd be more than willing to contribute to a one way ticket. What do you say coward?

[Atossa]

Al-Jazeera Web Site Hacked & Replaced With American Flag ?!

Did this really happen ?!

Al-Jazeera Web site faces continued hacker attacks

Reuters, 03.27.03, 11:50 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hacker attacks continued to plague the Web site of Arab satellite TV network al-Jazeera on Thursday, as cyber-vandals replaced the news site with a stars-and-stripes logo saying "Let Freedom Ring".

Both the Arabic site, at (http://www.aljazeera.net), and the English-language version at (http://english.aljazeera.net) could not be accessed Thursday. Users who tried to log onto the site found a message that read, "Hacked by Patriot, Freedom Cyber Force Militia" beneath a logo containing the U.S. flag.

"This broadcast was brought to you by: Freedom Cyber Force Militia," the site said. "God bless our troops !!!"

http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/20.../rtr922027.html

[morassofnegativity]

Yes, I have not been able to get to their english website yet. It's been down.

[Guest ShiaCat]

Strange :blink:

Yes, I have not been able to get to their english website yet. It's been down.

I have no trouble at all to get to the site.

[morassofnegativity]

Yes, I think it works in some places and not in others. The hackers have been screwing with it since day 1.