From the Associated Press
Cairo, Egypt – Even before its first broadcast, a satellite television station financed by the U.S. government and directed at Arab viewers is drawing fire in the Middle East as an American attempt to destroy Islamic values and brainwash the young.
Al-Hurra, or The Free One, is to start broadcasting Saturday. President Bush has promised the news station, which will build up to 24-hour programming within a month, will “cut through the hateful propaganda that fills the airwaves in the Muslim world.”
It already has landed a one-on-one interview with Bush. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has said the interview allows Bush to tell of “his commitment to spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East.”
The Bush administration’s hope is that a fashionably produced Arab-language station will help stem anti-Americanism fueled by the war on terrorism, the occupation of Iraq and U.S. support for Israel. (See full story)
lol i’ve already had enough of Fox news..
the Arab people will probably get sick of it
i wonder why we have to put money into a new news outlet. isn’t this doing what the network and cable news stations have been doing for the last three years?
State-controlled propoganda, Bush style?
Echoing Tora, why not just beam Faux News, 24-7?
Persistent link to AP story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3741026,00.html
Is state-controlled propaganda Bush style different than state-controlled propaganda Mubarak style? 🙂
I think that the idea of the US putting its message out like this has to be detrimental. I would think not arresting and/or killing Arab reporters would be a much idea to promoting open journalism in the Arab world. The war of propagandas is not the same as the marketplace of ideas. To really butcher Mill, we are simply putting up more sacred cows.
I would rather we set-up exchange programs for journalism schools, and work with educational institutions to bring about a generational change. Paolo Freire anyone?