Off
Target & Stillborn
US-Based Alhurra Fails to Impress
19/02/2004
The launching of the
new US-backed Alhurra
satellite channel on February 14, 2004, provoked a storm of
controversy around the Arab world. To many, the channel was seen as
yet another thinly veiled attempt to influence Arab public opinion
in favor of the US, and one doomed to failure, if the US’ moribund
Hi
magazine was anything to go by. Others adopted a cautious
wait-and-see approach to the new channel.
In this two-part
analysis of Alhurra’s
coverage and prospects, seasoned journalist Firas
Al-Atraqchi examines the controversy surrounding its
launching as a US-funded Arabic news channel to rival other regional
news programming, deconstructing some of the programs and broadcasts
with a view to comparing their relevance to and impact on Arab
audiences.
