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Thursday, March 17, 2011

The bias of the Arab world's "most credible news source"

From Babylon and Beyond:
On Monday, Qatar's prime minister, Sheik Hamad Jassim ibn Jaber al Thani, held a phone interview with Al Jazeera's Khadija Bin Qinna and Mohammad Kurayshan in which he characterized the deployment of security forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Bahrain as "assistance and support" within the framework of existing agreements.

...Al Jazeera is considered among the most credible Arabic news sources, but it has been accused at certain times of allowing its royal backer's political affiliations to skew its coverage. Al Jazeera Arabic, in particular, has recently been criticized for what some see as its overly careful handling of violent clashes between Bahraini protesters and government forces.
This does not mean that the world should automatically support Bahrain's opposition, but it does indicate that Al Jazeera should not be assumed to be a Western-style independent news source.

(h/t David G)