On Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 5:20 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> Not only has the internet been switched off for the majority of > Egyptians (I think it is ironic that the antiquated dial-ups still > work), but now the popular "arabic" network has been blocked from > Egyptian TVs. When Al Jazeera is considered too progressive and > supportive of free speech, your government might be in need of a > revolution. > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110130/media_nm/us_egypt_jazeera > -- > Kevin M. (RPCV) > > To be fair, Al Jazeera has easily had the best coverage of the protests across North Africa. I spent quite a lot of Friday watching their English service streaming, and watched good chunks at the weekend. Of course, the service gets proper distribution in the UK, with carriage on Sky (the main multi-channel platform) as well as getting evening primetime coverage on Freeview (even more popular than Sky). And while in the US it might be considered less than progressive, it has easily superior global news coverage to that offered by Fox, and even CNN. Indeed, in its third world coverage, it's superior to the BBC (although the BBC World Service probably trumps it in radio terms). The live coverage was much more measured than that of the BBC, Sky News, CNN or Fox News, and by yesterday they were running detailed half-hour documentaries that explored the background in depth. It's very easy to get terribly excited when tanks are on the scene, there are the sounds of bullets, and jet fighters are "patrolling" across city skies. I think Al Jazeera did an exemplary job. Interestingly Al Jazeera is more than just a news broadcaster. They recently snapped up rights for the next few FIFA World Cups across the Middle East. So they're also a premium sports broadcaster in the vein of ESPN. Now if you do want news with a slant, then you're better off seeking out Russia Today, CCTV (China), Press TV (the face of Iran) or Fox News. All the former also get carriage in the UK. Throw in a few south-east Asian news services, France 24, and NHK World (Japan), then I can't really complain about getting a rounded view. Adam -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
