Tim Blair

It's a pretty good documentary, considering the subject. Of course, the last two 'documentaries' I saw before it were by Michael Moore.

The most revealing part in the movie isn't actually in the movie. In the commentary (I think, it could have been in an interview on NPR) Josh Rushing says something to the effect of: "I was surprised to find out that the Al Jazeera staff was not all arab nationalists. In fact, about half of them were progressive." He thinks that makes Al Jazeera ideologically diverse.

I don't mean to trash the guy, because he is obviously well-intentioned and intelligent.

Also, in the movie we find out that most of the Al Jazeera staff came from the BBC.

Noujaim: Right, it’s not a state-controlled television channel. It’s a commercial television channel. And it was started when the BBC Arab World Service was shut down. A bunch of those journalists moved to Qatar, and that’s when Al-Jazeera started.

…but who started it?

Al-Jazeera (“the Peninsula”) was launched by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of Saudi Arabia’s small neighbor Qatar. The emir wanted to fund an unbiased Arabic channel to “promote a dialogue between civilizations.” He put $150 million of his money into the venture and gave the station complete editorial freedom.

Filmmaker: When people say that kind of thing — about Al-Jazeera, for example — does it also say something about American ignorance of the Middle East?

This must have slipped right by the US. On a dark night perhaps?

US-Qatar Business Council Founding Member Al Jazeera has appointed a new Board of Directors and a new manager under orders of the Qatari Emir to “shape up”, according to comments made by an Al Jazeera spokesperson to the Jordan Times. The decree from the Emir was meant to promote greater professionalism at the news station as well to enhance its capabilities.
Published by the US-Qatar Business Council
6862 Elm Street, Suite 720; McLean, VA; 22101
www.qatarbusinesscouncil.org

"Even the audience, which included "Million Dollar Baby" star Morgan Freeman, found the film hard to take."

I found this aside a little puzzling. "Even"? Am I missing something here? The reference to Morgan Freeman was even more abstruse. I saw a 'Parkinson' interview with Freeman a couple of years ago and, as I recall, Freeman was particulary scathing of Hollywood 'celebrities' (sic) who fancy themselves political activists, presumably, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon et al. Has Freeman joined the the LL? Don't know much about him, other than I like his movies.

"So it was set up as this outlet by former BBC trainees and BBC journalists to try to create an Arabic-language service for the Arab world. Am I right?
You are right! You should answer these questions."

Never knew the former BBC journalists' connection. I'm not at all surprised the BBC had soon-to-be Al-Jazeera founders/journalists working for them.

Al Jazeera ("We report, you decapitate")

I'm stealing that one, I hope you don't mind.

Even better, in the documentary the guy says that he doesn't realistically believe that he will be able to get out and live in America, but he hopes that one day his kids may be able to.

All yours, Veeshir! By the way, I earlier Googled the line, expecting dozens of matches. Didn't get one. What the hell is up with that?

with the on-coming BBC review, there could be upto 10,000 more ex-BBC'ers working there.

with the on-coming BBC review, there could be upto 10,000 more ex-BBC'ers working there.

Making the Arab Street rise up and demand regime change NOW. Really, who could take 10,000 BBC'ers in one's own backyard?

I haven't seen the film, but this is one ambiguous article, the writer of which clearly assumes his audience will share his assumptions about the world, and Al-J. I can think of lots of reasons to be outraged about any film on that subject. Did they think it was unfair to Al-J? Arabs? The BBC? Beheading-crazed IslamoFacisti? Or did it confirm what they already dispised about Al-J, etc.? Beats the shit outta me; however, I suspect the author expects us to share his sympathy for the first grouping, and react accordingly.

I haven't seen the film, but this is one ambiguous article, the writer of which clearly assumes his audience will share his assumptions about the world, and Al-J. I can think of lots of reasons to be outraged about any film on that subject. Did they think it was unfair to Al-J? Arabs? The BBC? Beheading-crazed IslamoFacisti? Or did it confirm what they already dispised about Al-J, etc.? Beats the shit outta me; however, I suspect the author expects us to share his sympathy for the first grouping, and react accordingly.

The article cited here is ambiguous because the writer failed to include the point of the Reuters article he was citing.

The original Reuters article is at:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7029705

Key quotes:

For viewers, the film brought back painful memories of the huge firepower unleashed on Iraq. It also includes frank discussions among Arab journalists as well as U.S. officials on the motives behind a deeply unpopular conflict.

"You're appalling, you son of a dog. May your house be destroyed," one Egyptian woman loudly exclaimed at a clip of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as he ridiculed scenes of grieving Iraqis and bombed buildings as "stage-managed".

Many laughed bitterly at soundbites from President George W. Bush requesting that Iraq treat U.S. prisoners of war as well as the U.S. military treats its POWs.

10,000 bitter, bitchy, whining ex-beebs all emigrating to New York at once. It'll be total starbuckslock....

Emigrating to NY????? NY in America??? Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I'm outta here...

Well it's more likely they're heading for Australia, straight into the ABC. They'll feel like they never left home. Alternativley, they could become trade union officials: they'll have the right whineing accents for it.