Al-Jazeera and Media Pressure

Review by Badreya Al-Jenaibi
University of North Dakota

Qusaibaty, Olivia. Media Under Pressure: Al-Jazeera Toeing the Red Lines. United States, 2006, 81 pp. $15.00
(ISBN 1-4196-4446-7)

Olivia Qusaibaty, an Arab media scholar, investigates the ways in which the media sector encounters the "seemingly diametrically opposed subject and object of discourse" (p. 5), and competing media actors navigate between processes of assimilation and differentiation. Although reporting in an increasingly globalized environment, discourse continues to be polarized, and the Qatar-based Arabic satellite news station Al-Jazeera is the subject of the author’s study of this phenomenon. Qusaibaty describes that Al Jazeera was a direct response to the "sudden significance" of America’s CNN news broadcasts during the first Gulf War, with its pro-Western "spin." There were no alternatives with an uncensored distinctive Arab voice, and so Al Jazeera was born. Qusaibaty argues that although Al Jazeera’s mission is to voice an opinion and its opposite (al-ra’y wal-ra ‘y al-akhar—the opinion and the other opinion), the station has been inaccurately evaluated based on either positive or negative biases toward the news station. Qusaibaty offers her own evaluation of Al Jazeera’s position and contribution to "creating a public space for dialog" by first examining its position in the global media sector, collecting data regarding three programs through a framing analysis, providing examples of critical responses to the station, and finally, evaluating whether Al Jazeera has lived up to its motto and vision of providing the opinion and the other opinion.

Al-Jazeera was first introduced in 1996 and immediately challenged the typical Arab media, altering the media experience through its political debates, documentaries and challenges to the status quo. Qusaibaty describes that audiences were startled by this daring new voice, with its 24-hour a day news coverage of controversial events, topics and people. Since its launch, the network has included three sports channels, a documentary channel, and a children’s channel. Al-Jazeera International (later changed to International English), was launched in 2006, a direct competitor with CNN and BBC World. Most of the original staff of Al Jazeera had worked for BBC Arabic Channel before its termination, and their training had a major impact on the nature of Al Jazeera broadcasting. Initially funded by the Qatari government, it was supposed to become financially independent within five years, although it still depends somewhat on the government for operational support, an area of contention with critics, especially when reporting about events in Qatar.

Although Qusaibaty believes that Al Jazeera is often unfairly maligned by critics, she reminds her audience that no media news channel operates without pressure from external sources, here referred to as "red lines" (p. 10). As expressed by Ayman Gaballah, Al Jazeera’s Deputy Chief Editor, no media outlet functions without a "ceiling," but he believes that Al Jazeera’s ceiling is particularly high, especially in comparison with other major news channels. Sakr (2001) points out that there is an alignment between the state and the satellite station that cannot be completely avoided; yet even though the Qatari government is under a good deal of pressure from the United States and other Arab states to curtail the reporting of Al Jazeera, it still supports Al Jazeera. And although there may be external pressure from the Qatari government to a certain extent, this has not kept the channel from presenting critical reports of Qatari society and government, including highlighting inequalities toward women and the use of religion as a means of social control. The station has also criticized Qatar’s role in the Iraq war.

Qusaibaty argues that Al Jazeera has helped to encourage a public space for dialogue by offering alternative views to Western broadcasts and traditional Arab government channels; however, it is an ongoing challenge to present an unbiased view of world events that offer a variety of perspectives and still present a "pro-Arab spin" (p. 13). Although other stations have since been introduced like Al Arabiya (which is more moderate), Al Jazeera is the most watched Arab satellite station, both domestically and internationally. The channel offers an alternative to western-dominated news, but just as western stations offer a pro-western perspective, "as a news outlet broadcasting out of the Arab world in Arabic and targeting Arabic speakers worldwide, the channel reflects a pan-Arab comprehension of current events" (p. 14). Besides presenting news in an Arab context, Qusaibaty also argues that the channel is creating a space that will allow for the development of an alternative political culture in Arab states. Al Jazeera may present a pan-Arab perspective, but it does so in a way that represents the diversity of the Arab voice, reflecting the "multiplicity" of the Arab world and its political, social and religious differences. The employees of the station come from a variety of Arab nationalities and represent political views that cover a wide spectrum—from communism to moderation to Islamic fundamentalism. Although pressured in the way that media is always pressured, Al Jazeera, at the very least, has provided a platform for public discussion and debate unrivaled in recent Arab history.

Although Al Jazeera’s role in creating a new dialogue in world discourse is praiseworthy, the author notes that Al Jazeera has not lived up to its goal of "one opinion and then the other" in many ways. She describes the patterns revealed through a study of certain Al Jazeera programs that show "a constant juxtaposition and differentiation between the West and the rest" (p. 20). She examines three popular talk shows where the host often frames problems as emerging from the West, and the hosts present an obvious paranoia about Western "invasions." The hosts often flaunt their anti-Western views, and interrupt and guide their guests to influence the direction of the discussion. Anti-Western attitudes are often reinforced, and when such issues as human rights issues are discussed, Western views are often reported as cultural invasions meant to destroy Arab identity. Al Jazeera’s application of its model of one opinion and then the other is "rife with controversy" (p. 30) according to Qusaibaty. The channel’s talk shows, which were the focus of the author’s research, are often merely opinion without fact, even though at times those opinions are reported as facts. Qusaibaty makes the following indictment: "…by framing the issues of those appearing on its platform, these talk shows abused the freedom endowed to the channel. By selectively endorsing some opinions and ignoring others and by sometimes imposing its own editorial line, Al Jazeera does not act as a mediator between several voices but rather violates basic journalistic credibility and objectivity, in complete violation of its own code of ethics" (p. 31). Nevertheless, although the West has come under sharp criticism from the station, the station has turned its condemnation of abuses on the Arab world as well in an attempt to address social need and change. Because of critical reports and discussions about Arab regimes and societies, Al Jazeera has failed to receive enough commercial advertising support in spite of its 40 million viewers. Politics, it seems, often overrides economic "sense" in the Arab world when it comes to supporting controversial programming such as Al Jazeera.

In spite of her scathing criticism, Qusaibaty does not reject Al Jazeera as a source of news or programming. In fact, she sees the station as revolutionary and a much needed alternative to both Western news media and government-controlled media of the Arab world, both of which were greatly disliked by Arab people. Most Arab audiences viewed the traditional Arab media as nothing more than a government appendage which had little credibility. Although obviously biased, Al Jazeera is nonetheless admired by its huge audience for its professional presentations fashioned after Western news media, and for offering a pro-Arab voice in a world dominated by the West. To be fair to Al Jazeera, theory shows that mass media has an agenda-setting function in general. No media outlet is without its bias and acquiescence to external pressure. However, while the news broadcasts do attempt to fulfill Al Jazeera’s mission more objectively, its incredulous talk shows present what appears to be a democratic process of providing the opinion and then the other opinion, but this is "no more than mere illusion" (p. 43) says Qusaibaty.

For those who would like an objective and comprehensive investigation into Al Jazeera’s role and contribution in both the Arab public space and the global public space, Qusaibaty’s book offers an insightful and accurate view of Al Jazeera in my opinion. At times a scathing denouncement of Al Jazeera’s broadcasts, especially its editorializing talk shows, Qusaibaty nonetheless also highlights the importance of the station and its position in world discourse and positive impact with its Arab and non-Arab audience. It would be easy to read the criticisms of Al Jazeera’s programming and find the pro-Arab content often reprehensible in its failure to meet its own channel’s objectives. However, while reading the description of the hosts and their tactics, I was greatly reminded of such American news hosts as Chris Matthews of "Hardball," and Bill O’Reilly, to name just a few. The incredibly biased programs that are labeled news talk and hosted by an overly biased and opinionated host have become standard fare on Western news networks. In comparison, the hosts of the shows described on Al Jazeera seem very similar to their Western counterparts and might be more of a reflection of this kind of biased programming rather than an indication that Al Jazeera is somehow an aberration in comparison to other stations. While quite possibly unethical and even inciteful, the talk shows described by the author are an equal counterpart to Western shows of the same ilk. For this reason, I probably would not be as critical of them as the author, even though I believe she is certainly justified.

The thoughtful audience member would hopefully watch Al Jazeera and other broadcasts like CNN and BBC. The way to counteract bias from one program is to not rely on just one source of news. In the past, the Arab and non-Arab audience had little choice, however, but to listen to either Western-dominated news with its particular bias, or to receive news of the Arab world from Arab regimes. Al Jazeera has offered a revolutionary alternative that has helped to create a new Arab discourse and alter the Arab media experience. It is obviously biased, but it does present an Arab perspective in a world where Arab voices were not particularly distinct. Al Jazeera changed that, and for that reason, it is a worthy source of news and opinion, even though the news and opinions are often quite biased.

Qusaibaty, Olivia. Media Under Pressure: Al-Jazeera Toeing the Red Lines. United States, 2006.