Danny Schechter: Is There a 'Foxification' Underway at Al Jazeera Television?

[demobabe]

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Danny Schechter
Editor Mediachannel.org

Sources inside Al Jazeera who are in a position to know what is going on now confirm to MediaChannel.org that there is an internal struggle underway that may dilute Al Jazeera's independence and steer it in a more pro-western, pro-U.S. direction.

"There is already a change of tone and focus in the news," a veteran insider reveals. He blames the shift on a reorganization of the network's governing structure a month ago that has put a former Ambassador from Qatar to the USA in a commanding position.

Al Jazeera broadcasts from a state of the art facility in Doha, the capital of Qatar, a wealthy independent state run by an Emir who has, until this point, remained close friends with the U.S. while allowing Al Jazeera its independence.

"Nobody is talking about it publicly and nothing is quite clear yet but it looks like there is new pressure from the government of Qatar , as well as a political battle over how to manage the channel inside its government with the U.S. and its supporters, including the editor of the Arabic edition of Newsweek, lobbying in the shadows."

The United States is a major trading partner with Qatar and maintains a vast military facility there. The high profile Coalition Media (i.e., propaganda) Center was based in the country, and the Pentagon has used the base airfield to supply the war effort in Iraq. Lebanese sources report that U.S. planes airlifted cluster bombs from that base to Israel for use in its recent war against Hezbollah. Israel's relations with Qatar are said to be close.

Full article here: http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1072

[demobabe]

1. kick

:kick:

[HardRocker05]

2. the only thing that surprises me is that it took this long. nt

[demobabe]

3. well typically we bomb the foreign media or try to control what comes out

heck, we bought up all the satellite imagery so nobody could see what was going on in that area, and routinely have been killing reporters so they stay away from the dangerous area and not report... it's been going on all along, really. this is just a step further.