Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Decline of Aljazeera

"In February, Al Jazeera dropped its top-rated talk shows, including “The Opposite Direction,” “Without Borders,” “From Washington,” “In Depth, ” and even “Shari’a and Life,” which was hosted by the popular and controversial Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qardawi. These shows used to cover taboo topics and give a platform to guest speakers who bluntly criticized U.S. war policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the undemocratic policies of Arab regimes.   Arab journalists were shocked by Al Jazeera’s decisions, and some even wondered whether the news outlet could maintain its popularity.   The channel’s director general, Waddah Khanfar defended the changes, saying Al Jazeera had to stay competitive by providing continuous live coverage of the Arab uprisings.  Al Jazeera’s motto, “the opinion and other opinion,” which appeared under its logo for the past 16 years, was replaced with a new one: “Continuous Coverage.” " (thanks Mohammad)