Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 17:06:41 -0800 From: arnab chakladar <chaklada-AT-usc.edu> Subject: Re: peter arnett At 10:55 PM 3/31/03 +0000, you wrote: >Arnab, > >on your broader question: I find two things deeply troubling: the >targeting of Iraqi TV (the Serbian precedent was a bad one) by the >"coalition" forces. And the vilification of Al-Jazeera. I think Al-Jazeera >is extremely important for the flowering of freedom of expression in the >Arab world -- and what one hears one may not like -- but that's what free >expression is all about. I'm particularly pleased that the British media >-- and responsible US media -- has been supporting Al-Jazeera (it won the >Index on Censorship Award last week). But the stupid attacks on its >websites, and the NYSE not granting its reporters access to the stock >exchange -- all of that shows that the attack on civil liberties in the >US, in the post 9/11 environment, particularly with an Ashcroft as an >attorney-general, continues.... > >Salil thanks salil for this email and the one before. to your most recent point (which i agree with deeply), here's the transcript of a march 23 conversation on cnn between aaron brown and hafez al-miraz, chief washington correspondent for al-jazeera. i'm not sure if you saw this live. anyway, brown attempts to haul al-miraz over the coals for al-jazeera's broadcast of tapes featuring american p.o.w's but things don't go quite according to holier-than-thou plan. it can be found halfway down this cnn transcripts page: http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0303/23/se.05.html cnn, by the way, does not really seem to subscribe to the principles of american journalism that you described in your previous email. they've cut away from iraqi press-conferences because "the pentagon would disagree obviously with what they're saying", they frequently mix opinion with fact--not just the anchors but on the ground reporters (and not just in the sense that fact is sometimes just opinon with a fist or bigger budget behind it)--and they are very selective about which unsubstantiated reports they'll give hours of play to (the since discredited alleged chemical weapons factory rumor from a week ago) and which ones they won't (the bombing of the market). BROWN: Hafez Al-Miraz is the Washington bureau =97 Washington =97 chief Washington correspondent for Al Jazeera. And he joins us now. Good to see you, good evening. HAFEZ AL-MIRAZ, AL JAZEERA CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: Good evening. BROWN: Look, I=92ll play this as directly as I can. Explain to me the rationale that your network had for displaying what can only be described as the most gruesome of pictures across the Arab world? AL-MIRAZ: Thank you for the opportunity. I would like just to explain, first of all, that Al Jazeera, as you know, an independent news media. We=92re not taking sides in that conflict or in any other conflict. We are reporting the news. And we are putting out footage that we feel it is newsworthy sometimes for our own audience. This is an Arabic language news network. We don=92t broadcast in English or at least not yet. The Al Jazeera for the last three days have been putting out footages of bodies of Iraqi dead Iraqis. They were both armies or civilians. And today, the =97 we found that there are footages, or we have a chance to put out footages, although it was shot by the Iraqi TV or part of it by Iraqi TV, of the other side of the war. Also the =97 that the human suffering on the American level, on the American side. Some of the footages for your case or my case may be =97 would be controversial. Do you need to put that much of the footage or the close-up? And it is a debate, even in our newsroom for a while. People who feel that it is the reality of war. And you cannot have just war as video games and just the very sensitized image of the war. But the main point=85 BROWN: Mr. Al-Miraz. AL-MIRAZ: =85is the footage of people who are dead and bodies were put to Al Jazeera for the last two days of Iraqis. Today it was put on for American victims. It is very =97 it=92s a tragedy. It is very painful and emotional issue. BROWN: All right, sir=85 AL-MIRAZ: =85on both sides. BROWN: =85respectfully, I understand that. And I, believe me, would be the first to argue and have many times in my professional life, that we are not in the business of sanitizing war or anything else. But is not =97 is there not a line between sanitizing the news and simply putting something on TV because it is gruesome. You can show the horror or war without zooming in on the most gruesome =97 I mean, I don=92t =97 I=92m reluctant to even describe=85 AL-MIRAZ: Yes. BROWN: =85what that 6.5 minutes looked like, because honestly, sir, it is vile. AL-MIRAZ: And that=92s what happened. Al Jazeera, when we got the chance to edit these tapes, first it was rushed and put out as is or mostly as is. And I agree with you. Some of it is really terrible and horrible. Unfortunately, some European networks, including Sky News, that is also the owners of Sky News are the owners of other U.S. networks, put the pictures as is. And maybe they did not edit out, but Al Jazeera did edit out after that the pictures. And we made sure that it doesn=92t show a description of faces or anything like that. That happened on =97 later on. Also, we honor the request by the Pentagon to give them some time, not to play the footage =97 not to play the video for the POWs until they identify them and notify the families. That happens around 12:00 noon today. And the =97 my headquarters did really respond to that request for humanitarian consideration. And we honor this as of 12:00 noon, until like 8:00 p.m. today, Al Jazeera did not put any of these footages or the POWs, while other networks in Europe, including U.S. allies like Spain state TV, Portugal, Belgium, others. They did put it out. BROWN: And sir, and they have to =97 sir, they have=85 AL-MIRAZ: If I can finish, Aaron, on that. BROWN: I=92m sorry, but they have to answer for themselves. AL-MIRAZ: That=92s true. BROWN: In this case, sir, you have to answer for Al Jazeera. AL-MIRAZ: And let me just finish that point, please. BROWN: Okay. AL-MIRAZ: To explain to you what happen. So 12:00 noon Al Jazeera did abide by that until the people in the Pentagon notified the families. And unfortunately, half an hour after that, 12:30, I was watching CNN and I found one of your reporters in the Pentagon reading names of three POWs. And this is CNN in English for American families, while Al Jazeera would not reach any American or English speaker audience in the U.S. And this is what we=92re talking about. BROWN: Sir, are you saying that this happened on CNN=85 AL-MIRAZ: Yes, sir. BROWN: =85excuse me, let me finish the sentence. I wasn=92t quite done. On CNN International or CNN domestic. AL-MIRAZ: CNN domestic, sir. BROWN: Because as you know, excuse me, as you know, there=92s a very different audience and a very different issue there. AL-MIRAZ: As =97 we=92re talking about CNN domestic, CNN America. We=92re talking about 12:30. And the Pentagon did investigate that and talk to the reporter who did that. And to =97 just to add to that also, look today at =93The Washington Post=94 front page. BROWN: Okay, that=85 AL-MIRAZ: =93The Washington Post=94 front page has an Iraqi POW. I don=92t think that this is =97 two wrongs don=92t make a right. I agree with you. BROWN: Stop. AL-MIRAZ: As we know in about=85 BROWN: We=92re getting =97 no, no, we=92re veering all over the place. But let me bring you back to one question. Let=92s not go to the POWs yet. We=92ll get to the POWs if you want. How many times before noon when you pulled this =97 when you say you pulled this thing or edited this thing or whatever precisely happened, how many times were the six minutes, and you know this, sir, you know how gruesome that piece of tape is, how many times had that been aired? And for what purpose could it possibly have been to air it in that form? AL-MIRAZ: Well, I haven=92t counted how many times. It might be twice or three times, but also we have to remember we are in testing times. And this is a war. And until you know there is a reaction like that, maybe people didn=92t feel it, but once they felt that there is a very negative reaction to some of these footages, they responded to that. And we should remember also, Aaron, that in 1993, when CNN was 13 years old, Al Jazeera is now seven year old, CNN put the footages of the U.S. soldiers bodies dragged in Mogadishu, in Somalia City. And I don=92t think also would people judge on CNN for doing that. People hated =97 those people who did that to the U.S. soldiers, but not CNN because it carried=85 BROWN: Okay. AL-MIRAZ: =85the bodies of U.S. soldiers in Somalia in 1993. BROWN: Sir, this is =97 there=92s nothing easy about these issues. And there=92s nothing easy about these conversations. And the one thing I would say, hopefully for all of us, is we appreciate a lot your willingness to come on and talk about it, because it is=85 AL-MIRAZ: May I add something, Aaron? BROWN: =85I=92m sure you knew, this was =97 this is a tough one for both sides of this conversation. Thank you very much. AL-MIRAZ: May I add something, please? BROWN: If you can do it in about 20 seconds. AL-MIRAZ: Okay, just also the issue of POWs, even in your show, you put a still photo of an Iraqi POW, I think, and you had a comment on it two days ago. And I hope you all respect the regulations. Al Jazeera will respect it as of now. And I hope you as networks will put Iraqi POWs should do the same. BROWN: Well, okay, point made. And just to make the point back, I=92m almost 100 percent certain that the family of that POW, wherever they are, did not see that picture on CNN. Thank you. AL-MIRAZ: Same for us. BROWN: Sir, thank you very much.
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