Article
The battle for al-Jazeera
The news broadcaster's plans to launch an English-language channel have sparked fears for its soul.
The first rule of journalism is that you don't miss deadlines. So far, al-Jazeera has missed at least three for the launch of its international channel, suggesting that all is not well with the Arab network's first attempt to break into the English market.
Officially, al-Jazeera International (AJI) is due to go on stream in September this year, but according to staff at the channel November or December is a more realistic prospect.
If AJI succeeds in wowing its targeted 40 million viewers, history will no doubt record these delays as teething problems. However, internal turmoil at the channel means achieving that goal has been far from certain.
Behind the scenes, a battle has been raging for the soul of AJI that only now looks like being settled. The fight has pitted the western executives in charge of AJI with its founders and Arabic parent channel. It centres on the identity of AJI and its role in the al-Jazeera family. What is it, and what is its purpose?
So far, the AJI executives, led by Nigel Parsons, have failed to satisfy their employers, let alone an increasingly sceptical public, that they have a vision that is consistent with the channel's trailblazing Arabic counterpart.
Al-Jazeera built a formidable reputation as a genuine alternative to the global English-language networks. It broke the west's monopoly on news and in doing so brought a long overdue Arab-Muslim corrective to the perception of events. The channel also broadened socio-political discourse by giving a voice to actors long ignored or misrepresented by the BBC and CNN.
Quite how the likes of CNN's Riz Khan, Sir David Frost (who by his own admission sought a stamp of approval from Washington and London before climbing on board) and ex-BBC hack Rageh Omar will carry on the family legacy is doubtful.
Critics, most notably on the Friends of al-Jazeera website, have also attacked the executive team for being overloaded with "ex-corporate" types. No one in either journalism or management, except perhaps the ex-Tribune editor Mark Seddon, who is AJI's UN and New York correspondent, has shown an inclination towards the hegemony-challenging journalism for which al-Jazeera is famed.
Nor has it helped that even at this advanced stage, Parsons, AJI's managing director has failed to articulate a cogent vision for the new channel, preferring simply to repeat the slogan that it won't be a mirror of the Arabic one.
The concerns echoing around cyberspace, but increasingly within al-Jazeera itself, have finally found their way to the ear of Sheikh Hamad al-Thani, the royal owner of al-Jazeera. He has responded with a rearguard action to protect AJI from becoming a pale imitation of its western rivals.
The sheikh's first move was to promote Waddah Khanfar, the Arabic channel's managing director, to the position of director general of the network. This put him in overall charge of AJI. Up to this point, Parsons had run AJI as an independent operation and was answerable only to the sheikh. Parsons explained the move as a "natural part of creating a network infrastructure" but everyone else saw it as a defeat for the ex-APTV sales director, who had fought tooth and nail to preserve AJI's separate-but-equal status.
More moves to reassert Arab influence over a wayward AJI followed. In another humiliating rebuke, Parsons was forced to bring in Ibrahim Hilal, the former chief editor of the Arabic channel, as his deputy. Parsons' previous number two was Steve Clark, whom he had handpicked but who had drawn considerable flak for his rightwing leanings, in particular over a previous role as producer of Sky's Richard Littlejohn programme.
The Arab fightback didn't stop there. The network also obliged AJI staff to attend political orientation classes. The lessons, given by Mustafa Alani of the Gulf Research Council, were intended to combat Eurocentrism by attempting to coach journalists to see the world through Arab eyes.
A more ethnically, politically and religiously representative workforce might have warded off AJI's problems and helped define a more global identity for the newcomer. But until Hilal's appointment, all AJI's executives came from western, non-Arab, non-Muslim backgrounds. Further down the ladder, the feeling persists that the Muslim and Arab appointments are tokenistic, confined to the customer-facing roles and technical and support staff.
The network has also moved to tackle problems away from the shop floor. In April, employees received a series of emails from AJI management warning against offending the mores of their conservative Muslim hosts. One read:
It would seem that some of our new arrivals believe that they are on an 18-30 holiday trip. You are not: you are here to work, to contribute and add value to our channel. Do not get drunk in public, do not wander around late into the night disturbing the neighbours and do not wander around half naked. Ladies, please cover up your arms and the most part of your legs. And I am appalled that I have to state the blindingly obvious: topless sunbathing by the pool is just not acceptable behaviour.
It goes without saying that all these problems will become a distant memory if AJI launches with a bang. Ultimately, the channel will be judged by the quality of fare it serves up, something that is highly dependent on the outlook and calibre of its personnel. Thanks to the continuing shake-up, that looks a lot more promising today than it did three months ago.
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User Comments
gazpacho
31 May 2006 1:55PM
Mr Bodi: You have written a very interesting article. I intend to have a look at the website you mention. One thought that occurs to me is - why can't there be simply a version of the Arabic al-Jazeera in English, i.e. broadcast the same programmes in a different language? Then we in the 'west' could see exactly what is the Arabic point of view they are broadcasting and find out exactly what sort of programmes appeal to that other part of the world. This would be more educational for us and surely could be a lot cheaper and easier than making a whole new enterprise.
PseudoPundit
31 May 2006 3:03PM
More power to Faisal Bodi's elbow. We need Al J in English, not an English Al J. When I first read that Frost was on board, I thought it was a joke. Sadly not.
It is very hard to find reliable translation or comment on Al Jazeera in English. There will be an earthquake when it is unleashed in unedited, un "prismed" form but broadcast in a language the majority of westerners understand. It will shock and inform, and it should be free to air not relegated to Murdoch TV.
While we wait, I can recommend the current Islamic art season at the British Museum. Not shocking at all, but very informative.
brachyury
31 May 2006 3:19PM
[One thought that occurs to me is - why can't there be simply a version of the Arabic al-Jazeera in English, i.e. broadcast the same programmes in a different language? Then we in the 'west' could see exactly what is the Arabic point of view they are broadcasting and find out exactly what sort of programmes appeal to that other part of the world.]
Because they know it would be embarassing.
BusinessPages
31 May 2006 7:42PM
Great, we'll get Frost reviewing the "be-heading of the week" on Sunday mornings.
ChristopherWalken
31 May 2006 9:34PM
skoobydude, contrary to what your racist indoctrination made you think, female speakers on Al Jazera are not covered and are dressed in the style of CNN female speakers. The whole Al Jazera is modeled on CNN which also has a dress code, like every other news channel which is supposed to be serious. BBC, too.
gazpacho
1 June 2006 12:02AM
jonnie: I've no idea if beheadings are shown on Arabic al-Jazeera, or whether that is just a piece of propaganda put about by Islamophobes! Do you know for sure? If not maybe Faisal Bodi can let me know?
tarpaulin: Dubbing or subtitling could be used on some programmes, and on others it may be that the participants are able to speak English and so both Arabic and English versions of the programme could quite easily be made. I've found that foreign programmes with English subtitles (or when living abroad vice versa) can help with language learning.
wordsworth
1 June 2006 7:55AM
I beleve if this new channel is half as controversial as Al-Jazeera proper, and brings us the same news, i.e new angles on middle eastern issues that we in the west probably haven't heard about, probably wouldn't if it weren't for Al-Jazeera, it has the potential to be a greatly informative news channel. Anything that brings Muslim points of view closer to the fore in the west is a good thing. Especially at the moment, when this talk of a religious war is growing, as is the war, moreso the rift that is fuelling the war in the places of the fighting. I belive the true roots of this epic battle, pitting Christianity and Judaism against Islam, are politics, maily oil based foreign policy from the U.S. It is known that Al-Qaeda declared war on the west at anger of the U.S deployment in Saudi Arabia becoming permanent after the Kuwait war, and continued support for Israel in their theft of Muslim land, the suport of the Muhajideen in Afghanistan then being dropped like a hot potato after they had achieved what the U.S wanted also added to Muslim's ant-American hatred. Overall these policies have shown a total disregard for Muslim people, land and their faith in general, also showing the Islamic world that nothing is more important to the U.S than oil. This is a silly thing to do when it is arab/Muslim countries that a large percentage of our oil comes from. So, now they have started to think why should we continually let them ride roughshot over us, when they need us equally as much if not more than we need them for our oil. Or that would be the case but for their control over world affairs, and so starts the war. A war which has turned out to be very costly for American leadership, and one which will undoubtedly change their (supoerior military) control over world affairs. For instance, the invasion of Iraq now prevents similar action to stop Iran's nuclear endeavours. If the U.S have to plump for a diplomatic solution, which in some way allows Iran to continue enriching Uranium god help us all, this would be the first victory for Islam over American rule of the world. At the same time though I think if this was the case, that the only negotiated settlement involves Iran continuing its nuclear proccessing in some way, I think we will see another Bush invasion. And if we see that we will definitly need gods help, I belive an Iranian invasion would undoubtedly turn Bush's war on terror into world war three, which is the way it is already shaping up. U.S troops are now stationed in Somalia to deal with the extremism there, as it has reportedly become a safe haven for Al-Qaeda fighters.
This war on terror could because if Iraq be turned into a war within Islam, sunni-shia war, with us of course on the side of the Shia against sunni Al Qaeda. I think this rift within Islam could end the war before any action we in the west can take. If this epic battle continues to grow, I belive Islam will have to realise that if it doesn't stop it is going to wipe out its own religion. But as I said on another thread, there could well be a large Shia element within Al-Q now because of the massive growth in worldwide internet use, I was surprised to see the story of the telecom tycoons having great success with expanding internet use in Somalia.
FrankFrink
8 June 2006 5:42PM
The staffing at AJI has been worse than a shambles, it's been an incestious little round of jobs for the boys/girls. Few of the London staff, at least, have _any_ broadcast experience. Many of the Doha staff have none at all. Quite large numbers of former typists and telephone operators have been hired as "producers" from various news agencies, because they were dirt cheap, of course.
And what's the point? Will AJI manage to distance itself from the 24-Hour Hate over at AJ Arabic, especially when it comes to reporting the about "The Jews? If they do, then we'll see the real colours of the Emir and the mongrels who pretend to be "journalists" at AJ Arabic. If they don't, then this will be just one more MSM white-wash. I'm betting on the latter.
leongreen
31 May 2006 12:27PM
"ex-BBC hack Rageh Omar"
Aint that a bit harsh Bodi? If Omar is a hack what does that make you?