U.S. attacks Al-Jazeera TV

Forwarded from toeslist, 18 November 2001

Just as Northern Alliance forces entered Kabul and rumors began circulating about summary executions and other atrocities being committed by the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance, the one television station that would have been able to document these actions was destroyed by U.S. missiles. Al-Jazeera television of Qatar, the only media outlet which has had journalists in Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan since the U.S. bombiing campaign began, was hit by U.S. missiles this morning.

Al-Jazeera, which was created with help from the BBC and has become known as the CNN of the Arab world, has been subjected to a campaign of villification in the U.S. media since it reported statements by Osama bin Laden and his associates. U.S. government officials have alternately criticized Al-Jazeera and demanded to be interviewed on it. Al-Jazeera has stood almost alone among other television networks, especially in recent days, in reporting extensive civilian casualties from U.S. bombing in several parts of Afghanistan.

Al-Jazeera's 24-hour news coverage reaches more than 35 million Arabic speaking people, including 150,000 in the United States.

Was the bombing of Al-Jazeera an accident or was it intentional?

Al-Jazeera's extensive coverage in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere in South Asia and the Middle East at least partially caused the U.S. government to need to hire a public relations firm to improve its image in the Arab world. Perhaps the P.R. advisers suggested that the easiest way to win the P.R. war would be to eliminate the truth-telling of the Arab satellite news channel.

Speak out against this abominable attack on journalists, free speech, and the human right to the free flow of information (Article 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

See the Reuters story on the attack on Al-Jazeera at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1113-05.htm

See Ali Abunimah's website, on which he transcribes in English the daily news from Al-Jazeera, at www.abunimah.org and his opinion piece on Al-Jazeera at http://www.electronicintifada.net/features/articles/20011022alihussein.html

See Alternet's interview about Al-Jazeera with Palestinian journalism professor Lamis Andoni at http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11811