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| Why Conservatives Should Watch Al Jazeera (Photo credit: KAZVorpal) |
This sale--for which the price is undisclosed--accomplishes two things: (A) It puts Current, a low-rated channel with progressive-leaning news and talk programs, out of its misery, and (B) it gives Al Jazeera a much-needed boost in getting its product into more American homes.
Al Jazeera plans to shut down Current, then turn it into Al Jazeera America, a news channel that will focus on international issues tailored for American viewers.
Until recently, Current was an MSNBC wannabe whose biggest star was Keith Olbermann, who brought his "Countdown" program from the latter network. Olbermann left in a huff after disputes with his bosses, resulting in lawsuits on both sides. Their programming consisted of talk shows hosted by Eliot Spitzer, Joy Behar and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, as well as simulcasts of Bill Press' and Stephanie Miller's radio programs.
Current was founded in part by Al Gore, the former Vice President and a noted town crier (some would say village idiot) on climate change. He's been labeled a hypocrite for selling out his network to an oil-rich government in the Middle East, for which he will remain on Al Jazeera's board of directors after the sale goes through. Also, conservative commentator Glenn Beck reportedly claimed that he was turned down in his attempt to buy Current and make it part of his little empire.
Al Jazeera has a serious image problem, one that has caused cable and satellite distributors to think twice before adding the channel. It's best known in this country as a mouthpiece for terrorists, giving airtime to anti-American rhetoric from such luminaries as Osama bin Laden. Since then, Al Jazeera has been widely praised for its coverage of the Arab Spring demonstrations and for its objectivity in reporting international news. But will it be enough for viewers, distributors and advertisers to give Al Jazeera a chance, when there's still so much anti-Muslim hatred out there over a decade after 9/11? And how journalistically independent will it really be, with the royal family of Qatar calling all the shots?
Al Jazeera will have an uphill battle in any case. Fox News Channel, no matter its conservative bias and questionable taste in news judgment, is far and away the top cable news channel. MSNBC, which has become less of a protector of the NBC News brand than the place for progressive political talk shows, is a distant second. CNN, under new management, is still trying to find itself.
To those who complain about the lack of substance in American journalism on TV, Al Jazeera America should pique your interest. If you want to hear the latest on Lindsay Lohan or want your worldview confirmed, try someone else. We're betting most of you will choose someone else, a fact that P.T. Barnum might have appreciated.
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