Comments on: Satellite TV Spurs Evolutionary Democracy in the Arab World http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/lessons/dishing-democracy/satellite-tv-spurs-evolutionary-democracy-in-the-arab-world/4337/ Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:14:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Deirdre Kline http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/lessons/dishing-democracy/satellite-tv-spurs-evolutionary-democracy-in-the-arab-world/4337/comment-page-1/#comment-2780 Deirdre Kline Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:06:27 +0000 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/?p=4337#comment-2780 Unfortunately this posting has several inaccuracies. Let’s get the facts straight on Alhurra’s audience and mission. Alhurra has a weekly reach of 27 million people, according to international research firms such as ACNielsen. This independent research shows that Alhurra is the third most popular 24-hour pan-Arab news and information network and that Alhurra is the leading international news television channel broadcasting to the Middle East. In Iraq, Alhurra has a weekly reach of 55 percent of the viewing audience, beating Al-Jazeera. Alhurra’s mission is a journalistic one. Alhurra is required, by law, to be conducted in accordance with the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism; and include news which is consistently reliable and accurate, objective and comprehensive. Alhurra is achieving that mandate; and is a credible and reliable source of news and information about the Middle East, U.S. and the world. In the past five years, Alhurra has developed its reputation as a place to turn for news and is frequently cited in the Arabic and English press as a source of news. For example AP, Reuters, AFP, Los Angeles Times, Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum, Syrian Post and the Yemen Times cited Alhurra in May alone. These so called investigative pieces cited in this posting are from nearly a year ago and are largely rehashes of stories written several years earlier. With journalistic mission and an audience of 27 million people, in a region bombarded with media and filled with anti-Americanism, the facts show that Alhurra is a success story. Unfortunately this posting has several inaccuracies. Let’s get the facts straight on Alhurra’s audience and mission. Alhurra has a weekly reach of 27 million people, according to international research firms such as ACNielsen. This independent research shows that Alhurra is the third most popular 24-hour pan-Arab news and information network and that Alhurra is the leading international news television channel broadcasting to the Middle East. In Iraq, Alhurra has a weekly reach of 55 percent of the viewing audience, beating Al-Jazeera.

Alhurra’s mission is a journalistic one. Alhurra is required, by law, to be conducted in accordance with the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism; and include news which is consistently reliable and accurate, objective and comprehensive. Alhurra is achieving that mandate; and is a credible and reliable source of news and information about the Middle East, U.S. and the world. In the past five years, Alhurra has developed its reputation as a place to turn for news and is frequently cited in the Arabic and English press as a source of news. For example AP, Reuters, AFP, Los Angeles Times, Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum, Syrian Post and the Yemen Times cited Alhurra in May alone.

These so called investigative pieces cited in this posting are from nearly a year ago and are largely rehashes of stories written several years earlier. With journalistic mission and an audience of 27 million people, in a region bombarded with media and filled with anti-Americanism, the facts show that Alhurra is a success story.

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