A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Friday, April 6, 2012

Arab Satellite Networks Compromised by Revolts?

 A subject that's been pretty obvious to a lot of people is addressed in The Guardian by Ali Hashem: "The Arab Spring has Shaken Arab TV's Credibility." Al Jazeera did a fine job in Tunisia and Egypt (though Ben Ali and Mubarak would disagree), but Bahrain and Syria are other matters, where Qatar clearly had a stake in the drama. Satellite networks revolutionized the Middle Eastern news scene in the 1990s, but so long as they depend on funding (or are owned by) national  government patrons, they will have their limitations.

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