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Pushing For U.S. Cable, Al Jazeera English Exec Claims They Are ‘Anti-Nothing And Pro-Nothing’

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Al Jazeera English, buoyed by critical acclaim for its coverage of the uprising in Egypt, hopes to convert good reviews for its Middle East coverage into a permanent place on American cable. “Clearly, the demand is there for Al-Jazeera, and people want to see us on their screens,” said AJE managing director Al Anstey who reportedly met with executives at Comcast, the largest U.S. cable provider, on Tuesday.

In an appearance on CNN’s Parker Spitzer, Anstey pushed back against longstanding criticism the Qatar-based Al Jazeera is biased against the United States, saying AJE was independent:

We’re categorically anti-nothing and pro-nothing. Our job is journalistic.

Anstey said Al Jazeera English is independent from Al Jazeera Arabic. “Our editorial agenda will be distinct.” Al Jazeera English has bureaus in the United States, but shares resources with the Arabic channel throughout the world.

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  • writer

    Anti-nothing and pro-nothing? Didn’t Seinfeld already do that?

  • Olby Sucks

    al jazeera is Anti-American.

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    NBC broadcast, CNBC & MSNBC have three distinct voices. They share some resources and experiences, but one generally wouldn’t get them confused with each other.

    The same can be said about Fox News versus most of the programming on the entertainment networks under the NewsCorp umbrella and though I don’t have enough info to make an informed comparison, I suspect one can tell the difference between FNC and the news programming produced by Sky.

  • The Real Royal King

    If we were to have routine access to Al Jazeera, we would pretty quickly conclude it is straight news with high journalistic standards. It would surprise FOX “News” and MSNBC viewers to find a true news source on cable.

  • http://www.snowspot.net Snowspot

    Olby Sucks said:
    al jazeera is Anti-American.

    Of course you’ll say this.. because you’re anti-muslim.

  • writer

    I only watch Al Jazeera broadcasts in Arabic. Can’t understand a word, but it makes me feel so elite.

  • The Real Royal King

    Magister said:
    I suspect one can tell the difference between FNC and the news programming produced by Sky.

    Most assuredly. SkyNews is virtually pure news with only a very small, well-identified portion of its days related to commentary. It can be a bit stark, and the yellow and black graphics are a bit off-putting. However, for quick news, when you don’t have the time or the intensity to watch the BBC, it’s a very good source.

  • The Real Royal King

    writer said:
    I only watch Al Jazeera broadcasts in Arabic. Can’t understand a word, but it makes me feel so elite.

    Which Arabic language?

  • Olby Sucks

    Snowspot said:
    Of course you’ll say this.. because you’re anti-muslim.

    Actually, I’m Pro-American and anti-terrorist.

  • writer

    Modern Standard Arabic, you silly goose.

  • tatboy

    The Real Royal King said:
    If we were to have routine access to Al Jazeera, we would pretty quickly conclude it is straight news with high journalistic standards. It would surprise FOX “News” and MSNBC viewers to find a true news source on cable.

    Ya… I was really impressed by it’s coverage of a reporter being sexually assalted in Egypt. Oh… ya… wait… nevermind…

  • tatboy

    Snowspot said:
    Of course you’ll say this.. because you’re anti-muslim.

    Ommm… no. They hard news stuff is as fair as you can ask any “news” outlet to be in todays market. It’s opinions stuff… waaaaaaaaaay anti-west.

  • cjd ohio 1

    The Real Royal King said:
    If we were to have routine access to Al Jazeera, we would pretty quickly conclude it is straight news with high journalistic standards. It would surprise FOX “News” and MSNBC viewers to find a true news source on cable.

    mind reader now, you are just guessing

  • Olby Sucks

    tatboy said:
    Ya… I was really impressed by it’s coverage of a reporter being sexually assalted in Egypt. Oh… ya… wait… nevermind…

    Excellent beat down. ;)

  • Olby Sucks

    GADDAFI: ‘OBAMA IS FRIEND’

    Wow. Just wow.

  • Olby Sucks

    U.S. authorities have arrested a 20-year-old Saudi national on charges he tried to use a weapon of mass destruction and potentially targeted former President George W. Bush …

    A close friend of Mrs. Phibber, no doubt.

  • Olby Sucks

    As pressure mounts on the White House to intervene to stop Gadhafi’s bloody crackdown in Libya, many have been wondering why Obama has been cautious in his criticism …

  • Olby Sucks

    A jury convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder for running over and killing his daughter in a case prosecutors called an ‘honor killing’ …

    What’s not to like?

  • http://www.zazzle.com/talkingpoints NORBIT Jr.

    I thought the American Leftstream Media, and the Democratic Party of Bigots they support, had the monopoly on Anti-Christians propaganda!

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    The Real Royal King said:
    Most assuredly. SkyNews is virtually pure news with only a very small, well-identified portion of its days related to commentary. It can be a bit stark, and the yellow and black graphics are a bit off-putting. However, for quick news, when you don’t have the time or the intensity to watch the BBC, it’s a very good source.

    I’ve only occasionally watched the UK version of Sky News, when I’ve been over there or when I tune into their web channel because there’s something breaking in England which didn’t merit a BBC simulcast,. or when I’ve been preparing for a trip. I’ve never watched their localized news channels and have never seen any of their Asian broadcast, though I have seen a tiny bit of their (non-UK) European news programming, which is why I left myself some wiggle room.

  • writer

    A jury convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder for running over and killing his daughter in a case prosecutors called an ‘honor killing’ …

    For bringing that up, you now have to criticize Christianity. Start with the birth of Jesus and work your way forward.

  • ProgLib

    I’m surprised Dish or DirectTV haven’t added them yet (or have they?). They have packages that cater to various ethnicities so it would make sense from a business standpoint. That said I wouldn’t mind paying extra for an international news package. English speaking news from around the globe would be more interesting to me than the same stories rolling over and over all day long.

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    Whoops! I take that back… There’s only a quick notice that soon disappears, but the Sky News webchannel is actually labeled as their international station.

  • timzank

    writer said:
    A jury convicted an Iraqi immigrant of second-degree murder for running over and killing his daughter in a case prosecutors called an ‘honor killing’ … For bringing that up, you now have to criticize Christianity. Start with the birth of Jesus and work your way forward.

    It’s at least worthy of a “Remember The Crusades” rant here! heh heh heh..

  • http://www.snowspot.net Snowspot

    Olby Sucks said:
    Actually, I’m Pro-American and anti-terrorist.

    Then clearly you’d understand that Al Jazeera is not a terrorist and is actually a news organization. Something tells me your very simple mind heard a word that sounded vaguely Muslim, so you immediately write them off. I understand, you are afraid your preconceived notions or our past actions might have been foolish and rather than confront those actions/beliefs, you’d like to just attack people.

    Ignoring inconvenient truths because they make you really upset is a part of life. The entire Republican party has been ignorning reality for the last few years.. and it appears there are still some people clinging to the idea that anything Muslim or from the middle east is “wrong”…

    It’s a very sad way to live, if you honestly believe things like Al Jazeera are bad just because they have a muslim-sounding name.

    The more you travel the world, the more you see people are very similiar. You guys are not much different than Muslims over there fighting against Libya or Egypt… and yet you attack those people. It shows a very scared world-view to feel so threatened by the Democracy of OTHER countries.

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    Also, I should add as a CYA… One of the Fox O&Os used to operate LiveNewsCameras.com and they tried to pour some resources into it by assigning a live VJ, but they really never tried to monetize it and I don’t know if the person left or management pulled the plug, but though the URL is not available, it fails to resolve.

    Through the LNS interface was how I’d ordinarily watch Sky from within the US, plus I’d also the English-language versions of the Chinese and French news networks, along with a Russian station and a boatload of live feeds from throughout the US. Needless to say, the service is very missed and if the genius with the URL and all the addresses is reading this comment; If you need my marketing expertise or maybe some VC seed…

  • Olby Sucks

    You guys are not much different than Muslims over there fighting against Libya or Egypt…
    ———–

    Uh, no. I’m against sexual mutilation, killing my kids, etc.

  • ProgLib

    Just checked Dish and you can get Al Jazeera as part of the Arabic package, can’t tell if it’s Al Jazeera in English though. Probably not.

  • writer

    I’ve got my credit card out right now!

  • TeaPartyPatriot

    Who needs al jazeera when the american-equivalent, the M(ore)S(ocialism)from N(itwit)B(iased-socialist)C(lowns) network, is already here?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Arthur-Clough/1419363514 Arthur Clough

    Their statement is nothing short of the biggest lie heard around the world.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Glackin/100000892011713 Joseph Glackin

    TeaPartyPatriot said:
    Who needs al jazeera when the american-equivalent, the M(ore)S(ocialism)from N(itwit)B(iased-socialist)C(lowns) network, is already here?

    The people of the US need Al Jazeera. They need the BBC. They need Deutsche Welte. In short, they need as many different views of world affairs as possible in order to form intelligent opinions about what is going on in the world. Confining yourself to one source is not education, it’s just training. You educate people. You train seals.
    Maybe you’re afraid of Al Jazeera because you weren’t so good at Al Gebra years ago and you think you’ll be embarrassed again.

  • http://www.snowspot.net Snowspot

    Olby Sucks said:
    You guys are not much different than Muslims over there fighting against Libya or Egypt…
    ———–

    Uh, no. I’m against sexual mutilation, killing my kids, etc.

    lmao, who isn’t?

  • timzank

    Snowspot said:
    lmao, who isn’t?

    Sharia Muslims in Egypt.

  • Olby Sucks

    Snowspot said:
    lmao, who isn’t?

    muslims. I’m not surprised you didn’t know this.

  • Olby Sucks

    timzank said:
    Sharia Muslims in Egypt.

    Egypt? They’re here in America, too.

  • http://www.snowspot.net Snowspot

    timzank said:
    Sharia Muslims in Egypt.

    So there are SOME bad Muslims so you say they are all bad? I’m an atheist but I wouldn’t define a Christian based on what the most radical Christian believes.

    Al Jazeera and the protestors are AGAINST Sharia Law, except for the Muslim Brotherhood, that makes up only 20% of Egypt. Even the brotherhood said that they would support a woman president if she was elected by the people.

    It’s really startling how some of you are really willing to completely ignore facts because you just want to label as Muslims as “the same”… I’m sure the same struggle happens in Middle Eastern countries, where they label all Americans bad just because of the actions of a few.

  • catfishjuggling

    You scared-of-your-shadow types in this are the perfect example of why the comments on this side are just the worst thing on the Internet.

    You people are just terrible.

    Obvious retort: of course they are terrible, Catfish. That is why you are here.

    Also call me a poop head.

    Whatever.

  • writer

    You’re a poop head. (Odd request)

  • http://www.snowspot.net Snowspot

    Olby Sucks said:
    muslims. I’m not surprised you didn’t know this.

    Um, there are more than one kind of Muslim, FYI.

    Olby Sucks said:
    Egypt? They’re here in America, too.

    Yeah, there are also Christian people in this country that go and protest the funerals of people in the Army… saying God killed them on purpose, as a lesson.

    Are all Christian people like that then? Oh.. but all Muslims want to kill their children and mutilate women right? Makes sense if you’re living on another planet.

  • The Real Royal King

    catfishjuggling said:
    You scared-of-your-shadow types in this are the perfect example of why the comments on this side are just the worst thing on the Internet.

    You people are just terrible.

    Obvious retort: of course they are terrible, Catfish. That is why you are here.

    Also call me a poop head.

    Whatever.

    Best post in a very long time.

    I agree with you about scared people. I’m as frustrated and disgusted with scared people as I can be. Muslims, Mexicans, Europeans, Libruls. Scared of 75% of the world it seems. Jeff Merrill (who you may know as Olby S.), Basil Marceaux (who you may know as Gordon Blower), Michelle-in-Utah, Tumbleweed (who you may know as Sara N. Italy), Kumquat (who you may know as Writer and under a host of other names), Philistine (who you may know as I’m Not Blue) who are the worst, but I think the W and Big Dick Reign intentionally turned many Americans (and at least one Italian) into urine puddle dwelling, high-strung, knee-knocking, squealers. Such constant, abject fear is decidedly unAmerican (unItalian) and a national disgrace. O, a Man in a Turban! Hide under the bed. O, a Black man, run! O, an anchore baby, every man for himself.

  • George C

    The Real Royal King said:
    I agree with you about scared people. I’m as frustrated and disgusted with scared people as I can be. Muslims, Mexicans, Europeans, Libruls. Scared of 75% of the world it seems. Jeff Merrill (who you may know as Olby S.), Basil Marceaux (who you may know as Gordon Blower), Michelle-in-Utah, Tumbleweed (who you may know as Sara N. Italy), Kumquat (who you may know as Writer and under a host of other names), Philistine (who you may know as I’m Not Blue) who are the worst, but I think the W and Big Dick Reign intentionally turned many Americans (and at least one Italian) into urine puddle dwelling, high-strung, knee-knocking, squealers. Such constant, abject fear is decidedly unAmerican (unItalian) and a national disgrace. O, a Man in a Turban! Hide under the bed. O, a Black man, run! O, an anchore baby, every man for himself.

    LOL ! What a tool.

  • ProgLib

    http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

    Or stick your fingers in your ears and say LALALALALALALA

  • Helix

    There are several good reasons to allow Al Jazeera to be on U.S. cable. First, if you are bored with MSNBC and want to see beheadings, Al Jazeera is your go-to station. Second, it gives you a chance to realize just how good parts of the U.S culture really is compared to others. Third, if you want to know how other people think and feel about the US, the West, and western culture, Al Jazeera gives you a window into their views. Fourth, it shows you what you have to expect if their culture were to gain the upper hand, and how the Koran is applied in their daily lives. And last, it is sure to provide footage of incidents that hlghlight bad behavior traits (racism against Jews etc) that conservatives can exploit for political gain, if one is patient.

  • writer

    King, you left out your phobias of people who live in trailers, or shop at K-Mart, or ‘cracker’ babies, or people who eat Cheetos. There are a lot more, but I wanted to keep it to the main ones.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Elaine-Jesmer/614756658 Elaine Jesmer

    I didn’t read every comment, so someone may have posted this already. Al Jazeera has a live stream, at http://www.aljazeera.com. I watched during the Egypt eruptions, and their coverage was great.

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    @Elaine Jesmer: Their YouTube mirror doesn’t hiccup nearly as much and if you have the bandwidth, you can set it for a higher quality picture. (Though it’s set to autoplay onload, you have to scroll down to see the livestream player)

    Cue a Beckian Google-based conspiracy theory…

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