Page 250 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

240 Chapter 9

U.S.-British bombing campaign and occupation, and what is seen as the illegiti-
macy of Iraqi elections conducted under foreign occupation. Concerning the
humanitarian disaster in Iraq, A1 Jazeera has consistently criticized the U.S. for
having killed and injured many Iraqi civilians in reporting that has given the
impression that the U.S. either recklessly or deliberately targeted civilians and
public infrastructure. In an editorial condemning the 2005 elections, Mohammed
al-Obaidi argued that any election conducted under U.S. supervision "is a viola-
tion of all international law. International charters that regulate the relationship
between occupier and occupied do not give occupying authorities the mandate to
instigate a change in the country's social, economic, and political structure."109
A1 Jazeera's ideological opposition to the U.S. invasion has resulted in a
substantial number of official government attacks against the channel. Moham-
med El-Nawawy and Adel Iskandar, authors of A1 Jazeera: 77te Story of the
Network That is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism, ex-
plain: "many U.S. officials have accused A1 Jazeera of inciting public demon-
strations as a consequence of its coverage."110 Former Secretary of State Colin
Powell condemned A1 Jazeera for "give(ing) an undue amount of time and atten-
tion to some vitriolic, irresponsible kinds of statements" that question the justifi-
cations for U.S. actions in the "War on error.""' Former Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld also attacked A1 Jazeera for "manipulating world opinion" in
opposition to the Bush admini~tration."~ Many American news organizations
followed suit. Writing for the National Review, William F. Buckley Jr. fumed
that A1 Jazeera "should be put out of business" because of its "poison" news
dispatches and "anti-American and anti-Israel" In an editorial for the
Wall Street Journal, Dorrance Smith, former executive producer for ABC's
Nightline postulated: "the collaboration between the terrorists and A1 Jazeera is
stronger than ever. . . A1 Jazeera and terrorists have a working arrangement that
extends beyond a modus ~ivendi.""~
Smith and Buckley's statements, like the attacks of the Bush administration,
rely on denigrations intended to discredit the news organization, without pre-
senting any tangible grievances other than a general dissatisfaction with A1
Jazeera's reputation as a news outlet that is critical of the United States. Any
grievance made on those grounds-and without evidence-is questionable con-
sidering that media have traditionally been expected to reflect a diversity of
views (of which anti-war arguments is clearly one) in reporting on the "War on
Terror." That A1 Jazeera is reflecting and magnifying opposition to the U.S.
presence in Iraq (opposition that will continue whether A1 Jazeera exists or not)
suggests that such attackers of the station are uncomfortable more with Arab
opposition to the U.S., than with the reporting of critical news outlet reflecting
that opposition.