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Al Hurra, the United States-funded Arabic TV network, has come under fire for airing controversial material that some consider anti-Semitic. Initially envisioned as a counterweight in the Middle East to the popular-yet-polarizing Al Jazeera network, Al Hurra’s programming choices have led one naysayer to write “Our taxpayer-financed Arabic network was set up to counter Al-Jazeera, not echo it.” The board that oversees the network’s programming has formed a panel of academics and Middle Eastern journalists to investigate the concerns.

What prompted all this? According to the AP:

A broadcast in December included a lengthy speech by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. The network later said the speech had not been screened for anti-Israeli content before it was broadcast because no supervisor spoke Arabic.

In another broadcast, Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister and a leader of the hard-line Hamas faction, appeared to support the assertion that the Holocaust was a myth. Also, the network’s coverage of a Holocaust deniers’ conference in Iran has been criticized as insufficiently skeptical.

“Insufficiently skeptical” is a tough characterization to pin down, and one that rational people can disagree on. Airing a speech by the leader of Hezbollah, however -- without paying attention to what he is saying -- is irresponsible oversight. How can a media outlet that is trying to promote free and responsible debate – and yes, less objectionable content than that offered by Al Jazeera — not have someone (who speaks the language) paying closer attention?

Read full post…

Al Hurra, the United States-funded Arabic TV network, has come under fire for airing controversial material that some consider anti-Semitic. Initially envisioned as a counterweight in the Middle East to the popular-yet-polarizing Al Jazeera network, Al Hurra’s programming choices have led one naysayer to write “Our taxpayer-financed Arabic network was set up to counter Al-Jazeera, not echo it.” The board that oversees the network’s programming has formed a panel of academics and Middle Eastern journalists to investigate the concerns.

What prompted all this? According to the AP:

A broadcast in December included a lengthy speech by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. The network later said the speech had not been screened for anti-Israeli content before it was broadcast because no supervisor spoke Arabic.

In another broadcast, Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister and a leader of the hard-line Hamas faction, appeared to support the assertion that the Holocaust was a myth. Also, the network’s coverage of a Holocaust deniers’ conference in Iran has been criticized as insufficiently skeptical.

“Insufficiently skeptical” is a tough characterization to pin down, and one that rational people can disagree on. Airing a speech by the leader of Hezbollah, however -- without paying attention to what he is saying -- is irresponsible oversight. How can a media outlet that is trying to promote free and responsible debate – and yes, less objectionable content than that offered by Al Jazeera — not have someone (who speaks the language) paying closer attention?

Read full post…