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Al-Jazeera’s Reputation in Tatters
Saturday, February 2, 2002
By John R. Bradley
Arab News Staff

That viewers should have been entitled to hear the whole story, and then to judge it for themselves, seems to have been casually forgotten by both media outlets.

JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia -- Source
Al-Jazeera severed all ties with CNN yesterday after the latter broadcast an interview with Osama Bin Laden conducted during the bombing campaign against Afghanistan that was censored at the time by the Qatar-based satellite channel. The consequences of the split, however, are more far-reaching than its bringing to an end the mutual exchange of videotape between the two news organizations.

Al-Jazeera’s reputation, to put it mildly, is in tatters.

In particular, the station has made a mockery of the debate about media freedom that raged during the Afghan war, when it held itself up as a beacon of honesty and openness fighting alleged censorship and distortion in both Western and Middle Eastern media outlets.

Many details about the interview remain unclear, including where and exactly when Bin Laden spoke to Al-Jazeera correspondent Tasir Alouni, how CNN obtained the tape and why Al-Jazeera chose not to air it.

But far from being sheepish about its antics, Al-Jazeera’s response has been so bullish and self-serving that it leaves CNN seem transparent by comparison. Al-Jazeera announced that it was severing its relationship with CNN and taking "the necessary action to punish the organizations and individuals who stole this video and distributed it illegally."

The station had initially denied that such a tape existed, but last monthAl-Jazeera Editor in Chief Ibrahim Helal said he had several videos of Bin Laden that were not broadcast because they were deemed "not newsworthy" or of "poor technical quality." Other officials now admit that they edited other tapes of statements by Bin Laden to remove "inflammatory remarks" he made against pro-Western Islamic and Arab leaders.

There is also speculation that Bin Laden attacked Qatar, home of Al-Jazeera, in this particular interview, thus giving the station another excuse not to broadcast it.

What is this nonsense?
(More: ArabNews.com News Source)
2002 © Arab News.

From the story:

What has inadvertently become newsworthy, however, is the question of why Al-Jazeera censored the interview, and why CNN has chosen to broadcast it only now.

For Al-Jazeera & CNN alike, it would appear that money was the key element. Now, how many here can say “Ratings Game”?

If there’s money in it, everybody becomes everybody’s friend. Greed, a truly international, intercultural phenomenon...

Personally, no more holier than anyone else,
Dan