Evidence of Corruption at Al Jazeera

From time to time I have commented on news outlets and one I've often referenced is that of Al Jazeera English. When the network launched during the George W Bush years it was a breath of fresh air. I started watching in 2008 via Livestream and I found the network to be edifying. It covered a wide range of topics and in fairly balanced form. Its coverage was not Western-biased but it did not discount or ignore Western positions either.

Then in 2013 the Al Jazeera America episode happened. It was a disaster. The nature of the coverage changed, the channel became more mainstream and respectable and viewers like me turned it off in disgust. The international 'English' channel was closed to us in the American market. It was Al Jazeera America or nothing – and so I (and apparently many others) opted for nothing.

Thankfully the 'America' network collapsed and was discontinued by 2016 and the (still going strong) Al Jazeera English channel was once more available to American audiences. I was excited but over time, I could tell something had changed. I've mentioned this before but it continues to hit home every time I turn the channel on.

Throughout the Obama years the network seemed to shift and by the time it emerged from the AJA period it too had become more mainstream and respectable. Whether this is due (in part) to diplomatic changes between Washington and the Qatari government is a question that's worth raising but one I don't know the answer to.

But what I noticed was that Al Jazeera seemed to have more access to big names and the mainstream in general. And its reporting shifted and took on a patently more friendly position toward the West. The network seems to be fully on board with Western assumptions and narratives regarding Russia and China. And when it came to covering Turkey, the Khashoggi murder, the war in Syria, and other related issues it seemed (and seems) like Al Jazeera is all but taking its cues from the State Department or other mainstream Western outlets.

Some journalists left but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are internal politics and shake-ups and journalists move on looking for other opportunities. There's nothing particularly unique about that. And yet I wonder how many that are still with the channel have become somewhat disillusioned. I don't know. Many of the field correspondents may not notice the changes which are most evident in the newsroom and in the studio shows. Although some of them have to know and are consciously reporting from a provided viewpoint.

It's something I watch for and contemplate and yet I'll also admit I don't watch Al Jazeera like I used to. And frankly I'm not all that surprised as I've seen this sort of thing happen time after time with other outlets.

But then this February 2021 article caught my eye.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/feb/23/al-jazeera-rightwing-media-platform-conservatives-rightly

I'm not sure that I would fully agree with how The Guardian frames it. Was Al Jazeera initially launched to appeal to the Left? The Left might have found it more interesting but if anything the coverage was meant to focus on an internationalist viewpoint with perhaps a greater emphasis on the Middle East and the Developing World. Internationalism appeals to genuine Leftists of which there are actually very few in the United States. Obviously the 'English' aspect to the channel encompasses a market much bigger than the US but I think the statement was perhaps a little oversimplified – all the more when one considers the international scope of the channel's appeal. Conversely, I would agree that Al Jazeera America had something of a Left-leaning slant.

But I digress. The salient issue here is the fact that Al Jazeera is now blatantly attempting to target the Right by means of appropriation. The article is right to mention that fact that even FOX has become too liberal for many on the Right – demonstrating just how far to the Right the American spectrum is drifting.

But what does this demonstrate?

It demonstrates that though Al Jazeera started as a Qatari investment and attempt to make the Gulf economic juggernaut a more palpable presence on the international stage and in global consciousness – it's now focused more on audience and thus the possibilities that come with it in terms of revenue and influence. Although it seems a dubious prospect as Al Jazeera's name is all but mud in Right-wing circles. If I mention that I'm a viewer or even something of a fan in those circles it immediately elicits a cringe and a suspicious look.

The network was hated by the Bush administration for reporting on its war crimes and deceit especially vis-à-vis the Iraq invasion. The Bush-Rumsfeld Pentagon bombed its correspondents. The network experienced a rapprochement with the White House and the State Department during Obama-Clinton tenure – which also did nothing to help its standing in Right wing circles.

In other words I don't see the network gaining a lot of traction in American Right-wing circles.

I'm less interested in that and more in the question of why? Why is Al Jazeera attempting to reach out to a niche audience that in many ways represents a provincial narrowness, a repudiation of what the network was supposed to be about?

Is it corruption? Is someone steering the agenda? The Qataris probably don't need the money but the access to power is something that would appeal to them – the fruits that their money can purchase.

Are they hoping to collaborate with Right-wing forces? I don't think so. If anything – and this pure speculation – I would see this as more of an American Establishment project, working with Al Jazeera in order to 'peel off' some of the non-Trumpites in the GOP and either redirect their energies into other sectors and concentrate and consolidate their voices and thus their potential power within the GOP by giving them an intelligent Right-leaning semi-internationalist platform – a platform that doesn't really exist in the present US media sphere.

The problem is the American Right has grown so narrow that it will not tolerate any form of rapprochement or even toleration.  If someone on the American Right appears on CNN, their whole character and credibility are questioned – unless they appear guns blazing as it were. I'm afraid a Right-leaning Al Jazeera won't be viewed as much better. Al Jazeera is miles ahead of CNN (which has become a pathetic joke almost as bad as FOX) but it's still hated by the Right. Whoever thought Al Jazeera would be a good platform for reaching American Right-wing audiences has most likely made a terrible miscalculation. The idea (generally speaking) of finding an alternative niche within the Right or attempting to appeal to conservatives in the GOP is not without basis or plausibility but I don't think the Al Jazeera angle is going to work. It's the wrong vehicle for such a message.

Aside from whether venture succeeds or fails it also tells us something about Al Jazeera and its continued downgrade. It's still miles ahead of the other options but its value continues to decrease and I am increasingly sceptical of the network and its coverage, especially when it comes to certain issues.