Top Arab TV network to hit US market

On the other hand, Egypt, a leading US partner, allows Al Jazeera to operate with relative freedom.

With the exception of Qatar - whose emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, provided $150 million to bankroll the network from 1996 to 2001 - Al Jazeera does indeed practice a take-no-prisoners brand of journalism. Although Al Jazeera denies going soft on Qatar, many observers in the region says the network treats the country and its leader with kid gloves.

"In America, we have excellent relations with US officials," says Mr. Hilal, a mild-mannered Egyptian who runs the news operations. "The problem sometimes is that regimes in the region try to convince Americans not to help Al Jazeera."

Managing Director Mohamed Jasem al-Ali says Al Jazeera in Arabic has 135,000 subscribers in the US; the network hopes many more Americans will access the English-language services. The expansion - which will include the launch of an Arabic documentary channel next spring - is partly a matter of economic necessity.

Mr. Ali says Sheikh Hamad is no longer funding Al Jazeera, so the company must find new sources of revenue. Although the channel is widely watched in the Middle East, popularity doesn't necessarily translate into profits. Traditionally in the region, says al-Ali, "advertising goes to channels that have good relations with the government," something Al Jazeera rarely enjoys.

Al Jazeera operated without a government subsidy last year, says Ali, but he cannot say for certain that the channel will be able to pay its own way this year. But opportunity - such as it is in the news business - is presenting itself.

Just as CNN made its name during the 1991 Gulf war, Al Jazeera is gearing up for extensive coverage of a possible war with Iraq. "We will try to be different than the others," Ali says.

The essence of the Al Jazeera difference, says Hilal, is providing context and history.

Mentioning the results of an opinion poll showing that 60 percent of Britons are unaware that Palestinian territories are under Israeli occupation, he says "the historical context is missing" in Western news reports. Westerners need to be reminded, he continues, that their countries armed and supported Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the 1980s.

"We need to communicate frankly," he adds. "We need to start confessing that we committed mistakes with each other."

Although Al Jazeera staffers are proud of what they have done to cover the other side of the US "war on terrorism," Western officials are suspicious of the channel's access. "They've skirted the line between journalism and colluding with terrorists," says the Doha-based official.

"They are not totally happy with us," says Ali of US officials. Like any government, he says, "they want the media next to them, not to tell the truth."

Page: 1 | 2