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Off
Target & Stillborn
US-Based Alhurra Fails to Impress
(Part II)
Deconstructing
Alhurra
Alhurra’s first two days of broadcasts was
beleaguered with problems, with some programs completely missing
their target audience.
One
glaring problem is the poor Arabic-language skills of the presenters
and anchors; they strain as though attempting to speak a
long-forgotten language.
Commercial
breaks were heavy on self-advertising; Arab-American journalists and
editorialists were shown giving ringing accolades for what they
termed “the first free media in the
Middle East
, free of government restraints, free of censorship, free of
pressure from a minister of information.”
Lebanese-born
Arab-American Muaffaq Harb, news director of the new channel, appeared
almost vindictive in the first discussion forum on day one. He
ridiculed virtually every Arab government, chastising the Arab
people for choosing to watch Aljazeera, and launching vitriolic
attack on the Arab media. He was rebutted several times by Arabic
Newsweek’s editor, who pointed out that many Arab dictatorships
were seen to be protected by US interests in the region.
It
is also interesting that while Aljazeera was shredded for its
alleged bias and anti-Americanism, no one from the Qatar-based Arab
news network was present at The
Four Views to debate and discuss the topic.
Arab
viewers of can yawn safely knowing that they can watch men in tights
bounce off one another.
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Furthermore,
none of the guests on the talk show were based in the
Middle East. Four were based in Washington, the other in
London. Why were there no Middle East-based journalists? Peculiar.
A
quick perusal of last weekend’s Arab and Western press reveals a
plethora of Arab-heavy news items. Fifteen Palestinians were killed
during an Israeli incursion into Gaza, 144 Iraqi policemen and
civilians were killed in attacks and suicide bombings throughout
Iraq, US General Abizaid narrowly avoided being killed in a brazen
attack by the Iraqi resistance, Algeria and Morocco meet in the
finals of the African Football Cup, and Israel is expecting a
condemnation at the International Court of Justice for its plans to
build a security wall in the West Bank. This is what a reader or
viewer would have found in the headlines of the regional press the
weekend that Alhurra was launched. Alhurra’s choice
of news coverage throughout the day, however, was atypical:
News item 1
A
47-second report on the attacks in Fallujah which saw the killing of
nearly 23 Iraqi policemen and the freeing of resistance fighters. An
Iraqi man is seen saying “The brave people of Fallujah repelled
the cowards’ attack.” It is unclear whom he is talking about. Alhurra
claims the attackers were imported Arab fighters, possibly al-Qaeda,
but provides no proof. No other news network makes a similar claim.
Three days later, Iraqi security forces declare it was Iraqis, not
al-Qaeda who carried out the Fallujah attack.
News Item 2
A
2-minute excerpt from an interview with US President George Bush
about Alhurra’s importance to the Arab World. “It’s
February 2004 and the Iraqis only were liberated in April 2003, and
yet in less than a year we have done an amazing job in Iraq,” the
US
President adds.
News item 3
No
video feed. A Jordanian counter-terrorism agency is said to have
thwarted an attack by extremists on US interests in the
Hashemite
Kingdom. No further information is given. It is worth mentioning that there
was no mention of the alleged attack in the regional press.
News item 4
No
video feed. Red Cross officials say they have received approval to
visited Saddam Hussein in jail.
News item 5
Focus
on Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world. The off-screen
voice-over describes romantic celebrations around the world while
the viewer is privy to couples kissing and necking. The off-screen
commentary adds: “In
Saudi Arabia, however, religious authorities banned any Valentine’s Day
celebrations, claiming them contrary to Islamic teachings. Hotels
were given three days to remove all items related to Valentine’s
Day. The Saudi authorities have launched a vicious 24-hour campaign
to root out any items related to Valentine’s Day.”
A
program called “magazine”
followed the news. It had no Arabic translation in the
opening credits; just traditional Arabic music played against the
backdrop of scenes from the US - the US Capitol, the statue
commemorating the invasion of Iwo Jima. The first issue focused on a
children’s camp – Seeds of Peace - which brings together Israeli
and Palestinian youth. Against the backdrop of children hugging one
another and participating in numerous activities, the segment failed
to address the fact that these Palestinian and Israeli youth face
danger in Occupied Palestine and
Israel
from Israeli aerial bombardment, targeted assassinations,
incursions, and suicide bombings and reprisal attacks on civilians.
Both sides suffer immeasurably; however, the magazine report was
detached from the reality on the ground.
Coverage
of
Iraq
contained repeated reference to the alleged presence of al-Qaeda in
Iraq
.
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A
young Palestinian girl who could barely put together a sentence in
Arabic (her diction used “camp,” “essay” and other English
words) declares that not all Israelis are bad. The camera then pans
to an Israeli boy who states that “last week we heard of the
explosion at
Hebrew
University.” This is puzzling. When was this recorded? The
Hebrew
University
bombing occurred on
July 31, 2002
. The Alhurra producers
may have dropped the ball in airing a feature that is 18 months old.
One segment of magazine
that I found amusing was its coverage of the Super Bowl. This is a
particularly ignorant choice of subject matter given that the sport
of choice in the Arab World is football, or soccer. And there are
plenty of stories to choose from; Tunisia
’s win at the aforementioned African Cup championship, which
included some of the Arab World’s best teams; the decline of
Egyptian Football; the Qatari League; the Saudi League. Instead,
Arab viewers of Alhurra can yawn safely knowing that they are
about to watch men in tights bounce off one another.
In
fact, not one segment of magazine was filmed in the Arab World,
involved stories important to Arabs, or referred to an Arab
perspective. A report on an Afghan win at the Golden Globes; a Paris
fashion show; a Sudanese model’s success in New York and Rome; an
Italian Festival; a story on David Beckham’s admission that he has
one leg longer than the other; advertising mania during the Super
Bowl amidst the Janet Jackson flap – nothing of real interest to
Arabs. Why should they tune in?
Even
CNN has the common sense to bring stories of the
Middle East
from the
Middle East
.
Although the news was very Iraq-heavy, one item that did not
make it to the Alhurra news program was the report of the
Iraqi civilian who was forced to drown in the
Tigris
River
by five
US
soldiers near
Samaraa,
Iraq, on January 3rd. The original story first broke as a blog by the
victim’s family, appealing to the world community (with a personal
letter to Bush and Blair) to apply pressure on CENTCOM to
investigate their son’s murder. According to The Independent, “It is by no means clear that Zeidun Fadhil was
intended to die. It is possible he was the victim of an elaborate
punishment designed to humiliate the two young men - a punishment
that went horribly wrong. Marwan alleged the American soldiers were
laughing as they pushed them into the river.”
A
breakdown of news items in the final News program of the night:
-
Eight
separate news pieces on
Iraq
including two on Federalism (repeated three times throughout the
night)
-
Valentine’s
Day celebrations throughout the world, except in
Saudi Arabia
(repeated four times throughout the night)
-
Four
excerpts from Alhurra’s
exclusive interview with President Bush
-
A
report on the Democratic bid for the White House
-
An
update on efforts to reopen
Baghdad
International
Airport
-
A
report on the Palestinian Prime Minister and discussions of
Israel
’s security wall
-
A
report on Tunisia
’s win at the Africa Cup
All
the news programs which appeared throughout the first day were laden
with three prime recurring elements – coverage of
Iraq, including repeated coverage of issues related to Federalism, the
alleged presence of al-Qaeda in
Iraq, and President Bush’s views on Iraqi moves to democracy, the
conflict with Syria, and the need for democracy in the Arab World.
A
Monday night talk show, The
Free Hour, hosted by Ziad Najeim was very telling; the host
persisted in asking questions related to the presence of al-Qaeda in
Iraq
and al-Qaeda’s responsibility for all the violence in the
war-ravaged country. In an interview with Tareq Al-'Azami, a
journalist who was the go-between for ABC when they interviewed
Osama bin Laden in
Afghanistan
five years ago:
Najeim:
What is the role of al-Qaeda in Iraq?
Al-‘Azami:
Al-Qaeda never existed in
Iraq
. It is a reaction not an action.
Najeim:
A reaction to what?
Al-‘Azami: My dear sir, a reaction to the
US
occupation of
Iraq
. These reactions are due to flawed and subjective
US
foreign policy. When the foreigner (Anglo-American forces) came into
Iraq
, the foreign fighters also entered
Iraq
. The foreign fighters will leave
Iraq
when the
US
leaves and hands over Iraqi sovereignty.
Najeim:
What do you see is al-Qaeda’s role in
Iraq
and when will it end?
Al-‘Azami:
Iraq
is not an island, it is part of the Arab nation, and the center of
the Arab nation is
Palestine. If the US
does not treat this issue practically they will never have peace in
Iraq. This is much bigger than
Iraq
and al-Qaeda. If the US
administration comes to its senses and realizes that
Iraq
is rooted to the Arab World, then the situation can be fixed. They
[Americans] had no idea what they would be facing before they became
bogged down in Iraq.
Criticism
Comes Quick and Harsh
Previous
US
efforts did not resonate much with Arab masses.
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Jawad
Al Obeidi, an Iraqi media consultant in
Amman
,
Jordan, believes that there is a hypocrisy which becomes glaringly obvious
when considering that Aljazeera’s journalists are harassed and
killed in
Iraq
and often denied free access in the
US
. On
March 26, 2003
, two Aljazeera journalists were tossed off the floors of the New
York Stock Exchange when NYSE spokesman Ray Pellecchia said,
“We've had to focus our efforts on networks that focus on
responsible business coverage.”
Both
the Society of Professional Journalists and Reporters Without
Borders condemned the move.
“Will
Alhurra protest when Aljazeera journalists are kicked out of
Iraq
?” Al Obeidi asks, referring to the barring of certain Arab
networks from Iraqi coverage in recent months. “After all, Alhurra
says it is trying to bring fair and balanced coverage, let’s see
how fair they can be.”
Many in media circles do not expect Alhurra to be
perceived as fair and balanced. They point to Radio Sawa’s
popularity as a music channel – not a news source – and Hi
magazine’s convoluted western message to Arab readers; neither
effort has resonated much with Arab masses.
“I doubt [it will take off],” says the editor of a leading
English-language
Middle East
political magazine. “Hi --the ‘magazine version’ of the
channel -- remains a lackluster seller at best, from what
circulation agencies tell us. My staff's comments on the first day's
worth of fare on Alhurra boiled down to: ‘It reeks of
propaganda and badly done fluff,’” he added.
Alhurra may inevitably suffer from its lack of vision.
It seems there are many goals in launching a US-supported Arabic
news channel. On the one hand, according to Pattiz, the mission of Alhurra
is to explain American culture, policies and points of view to the
Middle East
. On the other hand, according to Harb, it wants to compete as a
legitimate news source – a bastion of reliable and honest
information. These two goals cannot run concurrently. If you try to
portray a different view of the US, you may be accused of being a
spokesperson or public relations firm; if you try to relay reliable
and balanced coverage of Middle East affairs, you will inevitably
run into issues that will paint a less-than-positive image of US
policies in the Middle East.
Journalism
professor Gehan Rashty of Cairo University believes Alhurra
will undoubtedly attempt to promote US policies. “If the content
of the channel is balanced and objective, which is unexpected, it
can succeed. This channel is most likely to fail because it is
expected to propagate US policies,” she explained.
Introduction
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Firas
Al-Atraqchi holds an
MA in Journalism and Mass Communication. He is a Canadian journalist
with eleven years of experience covering
Middle East
issues, oil and gas markets, and the telecom industry. You can
reach him at firascape@hotmail.com
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