Week 12: Al Jazeera Visit

This week we tubed it out to the Al Jazeera's London Broadcasting headquarters. After taking a studio tour and speaking with one of the network's directors, I became frustrated at the United States' refusal to broadcast Al Jazeera's programming. In a country that prides itself on freedom of speech and freedom of the press, it surprised me to see how biased our media actually is. While Fox News obviously expresses a conservative agenda, most other American news organizations present the news with a pro-American slant, a slant I admittedly never noticed before living abroad. After comparing Al Jazeera's news website with that of the New York Times, I realized that even supposedly unbiased publications in the States are pro-American.

I do not bring up this point to criticize American news sources, nor am I praising Al Jazeera's coverage over that of US-based broadcasts and publications, for they approach their news from a very specific point of view which is highly critical of Western policy. Instead, I hope to convey the importance of examining a variety of news sources on a global level when it comes to forming opinions about global issues. I understand that each government wants its people to believe in and protect the ideals of their home country, but I also think it is important for a country which prides itself on values like 'liberty and justice' to encourage its citizens to look outside themselves and truly evaluate world issues from a variety of perspectives. By preventing Americans from watching Al Jazeera coverage (the majority of which is objective and honest), the government is, in a sense, shielding its citizens from viewing a non-western world view. I am well aware that I am simplifying the issue, but I do believe that we will not be able to resolve issues in the Middle East until we attempt to see the world from its perspective vice-versa. While we don't have to agree with everyone's opinions and mentality, we must try to understand them and respect the personal and cultural differences that exist if we ever hope to end this incessant struggle.