Page 39 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

1 | Al-Jazeera

These programs feature academics, experts, politicians, and activists who rep-
resent different sides of the same issue. In this free marketplace of ideas, the
audience members have a platform to call in and express their opinions on what
the guests have to say. In fact, Al-Jazeera has a talk show titled Al-Jazeera Pulpit,
which is devoted exclusively to taking live phone calls from ordinary people to
know their opinions and their stances on various political issues.
Al-Jazeera viewers, who were initially shocked by the approach and editorial
style of its talk shows, became used to controversial confrontations, contentious
views, and loud debates “with Islamists and anti-Islamists pitted against each
other, as well as people of all political persuasions and dissidents from Morocco
to Egypt and Palestine to Bahrain” (Sakr 2001, p. 58). For those viewers who
have been yearning for an Arab news network through which they can express
their views without inhibitions, Al-Jazeera is a breath of fresh air in a heavily
censored environment. In his comment on the impact of Al-Jazeera talk shows
on Arab audiences, Faisal Al-Kasim, the host of The Opposite Direction, the flag-
ship talk show on Al-Jazeera, argues that while Arab television networks have
become used to reporting the trivia and the news that glorifies the rulers, Al-
Jazeera talk shows “have damaged this decaying media and whetted the appetite
of the Arab people for more talking” (Al-Kasim 2005, p. 104).
It was no surprise that Al-Jazeera’s talk shows would anger most Arab govern-
ment officials, who were not used to seeing an Arab television station challenge
their policies or take a line that is contradictory to their agendas. Countries’ out-
rage with Al-Jazeera took different forms: many countries sent official complaints
to Qatar. In fact, more than 450 complaints were received by Qatari diplomats
from various Arab states during the first few years following the start of Al-Jazeera.
Some countries temporarily closed down Al-Jazeera bureaus; others withdrew
their ambassadors from the Qatari capital, Doha; still others, faced with the im-
possibility of jamming the Al-Jazeera signal, went as far as shutting down power to
several major cities to prevent their people from watching Al-Jazeera programs.

aL-JazEEra anD “ConTExTuaL oBJECTiviTy”
The term objectivity itself, when used within a journalistic context, signifies
the adoption of a position of detachment, and it suggests the absence of subjec-
tivity, personalized involvement, and judgment. This ideal or mirage is one that
is particular to journalists and the institutions in which they operate.
It would be unrealistic to expect Al-Jazeera, or any other media outlet for that
matter, to be absolutely objective. Even if absolute objectivity were possible, there
is no absolute truth or reality to be absolutely objective about. A more accurate
and more realistic term to apply to Al-Jazeera is “contextual objectivity,” which
demonstrates the hybrid struggle between attaining objectivity in news coverage
by covering all sides of the story while appealing to network audiences through
contextualization. Contextualization demonstrates a situational perspective, al-
lowing for sensitivity to the environment in which the network is broadcasting.
Contextualizing a certain event is governed by the realization that objectivity is
in the eye of the beholder—the audience seeking the “truth.”