New York Times TV reporter Alessandra Stanley (2/2/11) had a piece discussing why you can’t watch Al Jazeera English on your television. After noting that “demand was pretty low” for the channel until recently (unlike, I don’t know, Fox Business Channel, which must have dozens of die-hard fans), Stanley warned that
zeal sometimes outstrips the thirst for accuracy. The channel reported on Tuesday that 2 million protesters defied a curfew to gather in Tahrir Square; most Western news organizations put the number in the hundreds of thousands.
Seriously–the New York Times is going to lecture other media outlets on the proper way to report on the size of the crowd at a massive demonstration? And the person to do this is Alessandra Stanley, a reporter whose record of inaccuracy led Gawker to wonder, “How Many Corrections Does It Take to Get Fired at the Times?”
Come on now.
It’s called “projection” – you accuse other people of what you do yourself so that you don’t have to face your own faults.
Link on ‘size of crowd’ is broken.
Seriously — FAIR is going to use a Gawker post to criticize someone’s criticism? Why not actually look at what she’s claiming. Is she right? Oh, no, FAIR would never criticize AJE.
In my remembrance Al Jazeera refered to two million people on the streets in Greater Cairo, not Tahrir. What actually made sense, as entrances and streets to the square were occasionally blocked.
@ Tom: “…FAIR would never criticize AJE.”
Blanket statement much? Oh no, I’m sure you _never_ make blanket statements.
Yes, Tom, FAIR is going to use Gawker’s reporting to call out a fraud. This kind of shit happens here, don’t you know. I think perhaps Glenn Beck’s posting “community” is more your style. Go now, and report there the outrages you’ve encuontered here.
Without any reference to NYT reporter, Al Jazeera is being considered in the Middle East as a propaganda TV channel. Their passionate relentless 24 hour round the clock coverage of issues and events invariably exaggerate to Goebbelsian proportions. They give an open image of a channel with a mission, not of objective reporting, but of propaganda contract. In local circles, its a planted Western channel free from all or any of media’s self-regulations on reporting that western countries would routinely expect. Its coverage of Cairo protests had subtle nuances, focus on its own idea of what a people’s resolution should appear like. Its reporters running commentaries had the passion and flavor of committed activists rather than the maturity and in-depth analysis of any number of voices that need to be reported.
Of course they’re considered a propoganda channel in the middle east; the dictators so hate media sources that report from the perspective of the people, rather than from the perspective of dictatorships: “show me your enemies and I understand who you are.” And show me another channel in the world that speaks to as many credited academics (as opposed to paid think tank people).
Frankly, it’s not only al Jazeera that reports a million, some other Arabic media sources (even Saudi funded ones) do the same, comparing it with crowds at the Hajj which they see often. I’d rather go with journalists who know what a crowd of a million looks like than Western journalissts who have never seen it.
And no, I’m not a Jazeera disciple, I often criticise them for toning down their criticism of Saudi Arabia and various other things. But the American media’s misrepresentations and criticisms of European media, of WikiLeaks and of Jazeera genuinely is getting irritating. If they cannot compete, just close down and spare the world the sour grapes.
JSC is an establishment with a vision. Everybody in the Middle East knew that since it started. It is a common feeling here that their reporters are biased, be it in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen or anywhere else.
But, who is not?
I think that what matters is how we deal with what we see. If we just sit back with blank minds and take everything for granted, then there is a problem. What is needed is a critical mind that looks at different channels, listens to different ideas and come to their own conclusions accordingly.
The problem is that only a very small portion of the viewers has the preparation and the patience to do that.
Crowd size is now often done by satellite .The size quantifications are pretty accurate .Remember libs saying the crowd Glen Beck drew was 70%less than it actually was.Or Obamas inaug crowd 25% larger ?I think we can usually now find a pretty accurate size ratio without to much difficulty.
We must remember that even if the highest number (2 mil)took to the streets of Cairo or the lowest(4 hundred thou)it is still but a fraction of the whole.About 1% of the pop.Wether Al Jazeera is backing a Democracy based change, or a change toward sharia law is what interests me.
Well, Ghulam, “Goebbelsian proportions”? I read your post a couple of times, and I think you might be saying that Al Jazeera is excited about something, and aren’t comporting themselves in a Western-journalisto kind of way (that is, bowing and scraping before the received wisdom of ones’ betters). Enlighten me. And as far as Joseph Goebbels goes, if you want the real deal here in the Western world, tune into Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity, the true bastard sons of Herr Goebbels.
Obama seemed to get on fine with Goebbels…er a O’Rielly.Go figure
http://www.livestation.com/channels/3-al-jazeera-english-english
Rob I watched this link……….Do you think we will ever here from them what the MUslim brotherhood is hoping to accomplish after the downfall of the current government? Strangely ……I have been listening to AJs broadcasts and it is as if they don’t know, or wont admit that this faction is a prime mover in this protest.Are we to believe it is a free people moving toward Democracy?Well it will play well in the west- right up until the scimitar comes down.
What tripe!!The NY Times is in no position to criticize anyone about reporting. Let alone the almost only news outlet of the Middle East.
The NYT and WAPO both beat the drums for the war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and now again for war in Iran! Both the Times and the Post are Corporate war whores!