Al Jazeera appeals to global audience
 |
Dina Basiony/CARAVAN STAFF |
Al Jazeera, the globe-spanning Arab satellite television network, will shift its language and the rules under which it operates as it continues to explore an even wider global audience, says Adel Iskandar, an Egyptian-Canadian who co-authored Al Jazeera: How the Free Arab News Network Scooped the World and Changed the Middle East.
Iskandar, who is on a visit to the Middle East, was invited by Yasir Khan, assistant professor in the department of journalism and mass communication (JMC) at the American University in Cairo (AUC), to meet with JMC faculty members last week.
“It was a good opportunity for faculty to meet with a media scholar of Egyptian origin who also sees the media [in the Middle East] from far away,” said Khan.
Al Jazeera launched an English-language channel in 2006, which, according to Iskandar, is targeting audiences in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa speaking English as a foreign language. Iskandar added that it was difficult to reach audiences in the U.S. because of the cable programming.
The English programming will not be subject to some of the Middle East’s cultural taboos, such as not offending religious symbols and national unity.
The appeal to a larger audience also means a shift in language. Iskandar cited the use of the word ‘martyr,’ used by the Arabic channel to describe Palestinians killed resisting Israeli occupation, as an example. This word, he explained, cannot be used when trying to cater to a larger, non-Arab audience.
Commenting on the charter signed by 21 members of the Arab League imposing restrictions and censorship on Arab satellite channels, Iskandar noted that it was “more of the same” attempts to regulate media, and said that it “doesn’t come as a surprise.”
But Iskandar does not believe that the document should be used to control the independence of satellite news stations, or that Arab governments even have the capacity to do so.
“Stations that want to push the envelope do it for a living. They don’t care for the consequences,” he said.
“Al Jazeera has become a brand for alternative media,” said Iskandar, “It is associated with opposing voices and viewed by the West as a dissident news organization.”
Despite criticism directed against Al Jazeera from both foreign and Arab governments, director of the Adham Center for Electronic Journalism Lawrence Pintak said that the network remains a benchmark for Arab media.
“No matter what criticism you may have of Al Jazeera, it’s acknowledged that it set a completely new tone for Arab media. The bottom line is, it’s the Arab news outlet operating with the fewest restrictions,” he said.
