Why is Al-Jazeera in English important?
It’s important because it’s different. It’s the first global English-language news channel not based in the West, and that’s a powerful idea. One of their executives talks about if you stand in a room and you look at it from one side of the room, then you move to the other side, the room looks a little bit different. It’s an oversimplification but it’s a valid notion. Why didn’t you think American networks would be interested in the show? They’re just not interested in critical self-examination. Why would you be? When you’re a corporate entity there to institutionally protect shareholder value, why would you invite somebody to inspect your dirty laundry? Regarding blogs, which your show frequently deals with, do you think there will be a generation or segment of people who will grow dependent on blogs as their sole source of news? I don’t think anyone will be exclusively blog-dependent for all their information … But, will people grow more dependent on bloggers and alternative sources
