Al Jazeera Phenomenon

Few phenomena in the Arab world are more controversial than Al Jazeera - the satellite television news channel that, despite its brief history, has made itself known throughout the world and changed the face of a formerly parochial Arab media. This timely collection of essays by Arab and Western scholars provides a better understanding of the network - and how it has affected the public and even foreign policies of Western governments - than any other of the few books published in English up to now. The book provides rare insights into Al Jazeera's politics, its agenda, its programmes, its coverage of regional crises, and its treatment of the West. The authors attempt to gauge the network's impact on ordinary Arab viewers, understand its effect on an increasingly visible Arab public sphere, and map out the role it plays in regional Arab politics. The image of Al Jazeera that emerges from this book is much more complex than its depiction in Western media. It reveals the role that the network plays in shaping ideas and reconstructing Arab identities during a crucial juncture in Middle Eastern history and politics. I think it will be a first in the field of Middle Eastern media studies... the issue of public policy, foreign relations and the impact of the media on democracy, human rights and development remains burning. -- Azza KaramAcknowledgements About the Contributors Part I. Introduction 1. Mohamed Zayani Al Jazeera and the Vicissitudes of the New Arab Mediascape Part II. Al Jazeera, Regional Politics and the Public Sphere 2. Olivier Da Lage The Politics of Al Jazeera or the Diplomacy of Doha 3. Mohammed El Oifi Influence without Power: Al Jazeera and the Arab Public Sphere 4. Gloria Awad Al Jazeera.net: Identity Choices and the Logic of the Media Part III. Al Jazeera Programming 5. Faisal Al Kasim. The Opposite Direction: A Program which Changed the Face of Arab Television 6. Muhammad I. Ayish Media Brinksmanship: Al Jazeera's The Opposite 7. Naomi Sakr Women, Development and Al Jazeera: A Balance Sheet Part IV. Al Jazeera and Regional Crises 8. Ehab Y. Bessaiso. Al Jazeera and the War in Afghanistan: A Delivery System or a Mouthpiece 9. Mohamed Zayani Witnessing the Intifada: Al Jazeera's Coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict 10. R.S. Zaharna Al Jazeera and American Public Diplomacy: A Dance of Intercultural (Mis-)Communication Postface: Jon B. Alterman. 'Arab Media Studies: Some Methodological Considerations Selected Bibliography Index