In 2003, David Brancaccio talked with director Jehane Noujaim about her controversial documentary CONTROL ROOM. The film about the Arabic-language cable news station Al-Jazeera, called into question the prevailing images and positions offered up by the U.S. news media about the war in Iraq. A central character in CONTROL ROOM was then Marine Lieutenant Josh Rushing.

		Biography Former Marine Captain Josh Rushing left the Marine Corps last year after fourteen years of active service. He joined the Corps at seventeen: "I joined because my father raised my sister and I that you have to serve your nation in some capacity as a teacher, military lawyer, or, I mean, a cop, fireman, whatever it is. For at least two years, you've gotta serve your nation." Rushing unwittingly became the center of a controversy last year when the film CONTROL ROOM was released to the public at the Sundance Festival. Rushing appeared in his role as Central Commands military liaison to Al-Jazeera, the Arab-language television station often criticized by the U.S. government. Based on his experience with Al-Jazeera during the early days of the war, Rushing warns that the network requires some cooperation from government sources: "The fodder that feeds the fires of 9/11 is the Arab perspective. There's no greater shaper that we have access to than Al-Jazeera. It's too important to ignore." CONTROL ROOM Find out more about Al-Jazeera and other Arab press outlets. Images courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
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