From Publishers Weekly
After monitoring the Arab news station Al-Jazeera for the Australian news service Sky News during the American invasion of Iraq, journalist Miles decided to delve deeper into its workings. The result is a detailed, absorbing look at the organization, the world it covers and the international media. Since its inception in 1996, Al-Jazeera has been broadcast from Qatar, the tiny yet incredibly wealthy emirate situated on the Saudi Arabian coast and across the Gulf from Iran, "like a mouse sharing a cage with two rattlesnakes." In describing Al-Jazeera's rise, Miles illuminates the shaky balance the channel has attempted to strike between Arab thought and Western influences, and shows how it has become embroiled in internal conflicts and global scrutiny about what's appropriate for a news broadcast (e.g., American media outlets fumed over its initial airing of bin Laden's videotapes, but then followed suit). Miles contrasts these struggles with those of other influential TV news outlets, showing how Al-Jazeera is similar to CNN and the BBC (with its news scrolls, dramatic music and global coverage), yet still unique. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com
Controversy and al-Jazeera seem to go hand in hand. Broadcast out of Qatar, this Arab news channel is often portrayed in the West as a purveyor of anti-American bile that incites violence in Iraq, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But many Arabs -- including millions of loyal viewers -- see the station as an independent source of news in a region where dictators and kings have historically kept a stranglehold on the flow of information. For its admirers, al-Jazeera represents a long-overdue revolution in Arab media. In Al-Jazeera, Hugh Miles not only shares this view, he also argues that al-Jazeera is a highly professional news organization -- indeed, one that "is less biased than any of the mainstream American news networks." Miles, a Saudi-born British journalist and consultant, traces the channel's genesis -- from the initial failure of a joint news venture between the BBC and the Saudi government to the emir of Qatar's decision to fund an independent news network. He also explains how al-Jazeera's round-the-clock coverage of two huge recent news stories -- the start of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000 and the post-9/11 U.S.-led war in Afghanistan (where the network had the only news bureau in Kabul, as well as special access to the Taliban) -- made it a valued source of news in the region. It's now far more trusted than the wheezing state-run stations, to say nothing of the fledgling U.S.-sponsored channel al-Hurra. To be sure, as Miles observes, it was not just its news coverage that produced such a wide following for al-Jazeera: Its talk shows also transformed television viewing in the Arab world. These programs were lively, controversial and taboo-breaking. They sometimes informed and more often titillated, and they simply had no precedent in the Arab world. "The Opposite Direction," for example, is a Middle Eastern version of CNN's "Crossfire," and "Religion and Life" features a leading cleric, Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who presents his views on the Islamic approach to even mundane matters. (Of course, he also offers self-styled religious edicts endorsing the killing of U.S. civilian contractors in Iraq and Israelis riding the bus to work.) Even as al-Jazeera was breaking barriers and offering hard-hitting news, Miles observes, it ran into problems with nearly every Arab regime. From Egypt to Algeria to the Gulf, the channel was either shut down or on the verge of having the plug pulled at one time or another. The Saudis even used their clout to block much of its advertising market; according to Miles, Riyadh threatened potential advertisers like the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson with the loss of their contracts if they bought commercial time. This helps explain why al-Jazeera, for all its regional popularity, still can't operate without extensive subsidies from the Qatari government. (Al-Jazeera is Arabic for "the peninsula," a reference to Qatar's location in the Gulf.) But according to Miles, this dependency on the emir of Qatar has not affected the network's editorial freedom. For Miles, the anger that al-Jazeera generates from so many quarters is proof of its independence, fairness and accuracy. After all, he argues, if the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Saddam Hussein and Islamist radicals could all be critical of al-Jazeera, "there could be no substance to allegations of bias." You'd be right to get the picture that Miles believes that al-Jazeera can do little wrong. Yes, he acknowledges near the end of the book that the channel does have a point of view, but that doesn't alter his belief that al-Jazeera is less biased than its American counterparts. (Full disclosure: I have a contract to provide on-air commentary for Fox News.) Miles seems almost mesmerized by al-Jazeera's professionalism and its motto: "The opinion and the other opinion." For him and the al-Jazeera journalists he quotes, airing both sides is what makes the coverage inherently balanced. But are all opinions really equal, regardless of their content? Are any points of view unacceptable? For both al-Jazeera and Miles, the answer seems to be no, at least when it comes to attacking the United States or Israel. Osama bin Laden certainly is newsworthy, but having watched al-Jazeera's coverage of him, I've concluded that it treats him less as a newsmaker (however despicable) and more as someone representing a legitimate point of view. To be sure, bin Laden seeks to exploit the deep sense of rage, betrayal and helplessness that pervades the Arab world. But al-Jazeera also plays to these impulses and provides an ongoing platform for jihadists to exploit them. Small wonder, then, that al-Jazeera operates on the premise that if you show President Bush representing one point of view, you should also show bin Laden or one of his supporters. Similarly, when Hamas's now-dead leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, was blessing Palestinian suicide bombings against Israeli civilians -- even before the current intifada began in 2000 -- al-Jazeera served as his megaphone. Nor does al-Jazeera truly show all points of view. It has Israelis on the air regularly, but does it ever interview extremist settlers? Do its news reports acknowledge the threat -- both physical and political -- that they pose to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon? Recognizing Sharon's battle with Israel's radical right doesn't fit the al-Jazeera agenda of portraying him as the driving force behind the Israeli occupation that the station so abhors. Al-Jazeera clearly makes an editorial judgment here and excludes views it considers beyond the pale. But it exercises no such judgment when it comes to broadcasting hateful, even violent views of America. Al-Jazeera also considers it fair play to broadcast strikingly gory images from Iraq, the West Bank and Gaza -- visuals that add to the region's anger and resentment. True, al-Jazeera is not the source of that anger, but its whole approach is designed to play to it. Unfortunately, Miles does not question this approach -- largely because he shares the channel's basic predisposition against the United States, believing that both the war in Iraq and U.S. support for Israel are wrong. Anti-American fury in the Arab and Islamic worlds is justified, Miles says, so don't blame al-Jazeera for it. In fact, I don't. But why shouldn't al-Jazeera live up to its credo? Why shouldn't it question what Arabs are doing to themselves, rather than just condemning what non-Arabs are doing to the region? Why doesn't it talk about the failings of education in the Arab world? Why doesn't it expose Islamist madrassas that teach hatred toward the outside world? Why can't it debunk mythologies, rather than spreading risible conspiracy theories (like blaming Israel's Mossad for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks)? Why can't it seriously question what the intifada has cost Palestinians rather than glorifying suicide bombers as "martyrs"? These questions are particularly important precisely because al-Jazeera now has such credibility in the Arab world. It could use its power to promote greater responsibility, but so far it hasn't. Leaving aside Miles's obvious disdain for the Bush administration, his book would have been far more useful if he'd been more open to addressing al-Jazeera's weaknesses and less determined to dismiss its critics. In the end, if you want to get a better picture of al-Jazeera, even a sympathetic one, I'd recommend seeing the recent documentary "Control Room" instead. It takes less time and makes a fairer case.Reviewed by Dennis Ross Copyright 2005, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved.


From Booklist
Excoriated by some Arab governments, Israelis, and the U.S., Al-Jazeera has earned itself more than 50 million viewers, worldwide credibility, and a reputation for heated controversy. Launched in 1996 by Qatar, a nation struggling with efforts to reform its autocratic government, Al-Jazeera has established itself with strong coverage of the intifada, the war in Afghanistan, and the Gulf wars, as well as interviews with Israeli officials, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden. The network has exposed the brutality of Israeli occupation and the corruption of assorted Arab governments. Its aggressive coverage has brought a perspective on the Arab world never before seen in the Western media or the Arab world itself, creating suspicion that it is linked to al-Qaeda. One of its star reporters is awaiting trail in Spain on charges of actively recruiting for an al-Qaeda cell. But with Western governments and media alternately condemning and trying to cut exclusive deals with the network, Al-Jazeera promises to continue to be a force in international news. A fascinating look at a rising international media outlet. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
With more than fifty million viewers, Al Jazeera is one of the most widely watched news channels in the world. And it's also one of the most controversial. Set up by the maverick Emir of Qatar, Al Jazeera ("the island") quickly became a household name after September 11 by delivering some of the biggest scoops in television history, including a notorious string of taped speeches from Osama bin Laden. Lambasted as a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda, little is actually known about Al Jazeera and its operations. Its journalists have been accused of spying for everyone from Mossad to Saddam Hussein, sometimes simultaneously, and a star Al Jazeera reporter has been accused of being an active member and recruiter for a Spanish-based Al Qaeda cell. Al Jazeera now has plans to launch an English version of its controversial satellite news channel in the first half of 2005. This time it is aimed not just toward Arabs and Muslims, but Americans as well. Journalist Hugh Miles speculates on the potentially dramatic effects of the network's new station on the Western world while uncovering the true story behind one of the most influential media outlets.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"With more than fifty million viewers, Al Jazeera is one of the most widely watched news channels in the world. And it's also one of the most controversial. Set up by the maverick Emir of Qatar, Al Jazeera ("the island") quickly became a household name after September 11 by delivering some of the biggest scoops in television history, including a notorious string of taped speeches from Osama bin Laden. Now, journalist Hugh Miles uncovers the true story behind the Arab world's most influential media outlet." "Its journalists have been accused of spying for everyone from Mossad to Saddam Hussein, sometimes simultaneously, and a star Al Jazeera reporter is still awaiting trial in Spain for being an active member and recruiter for a Spanish-based Al Qaeda cell. Al Jazeera now has plans to launch an English version of its controversial satellite news channel in the first six months of 2005. This time it is aimed not just toward Arabs and Muslims, but Americans as well." With unprecedented access to the news channel's key players, reporters, producers, and financiers, journalist Hugh Miles uncovers the full, behind-the-scenes story of Al-Jazeera's meteoric rise and how its influence is shaping the course of the Arab world.

FROM THE CRITICS

Isabel Hilton - The New York Times

As Hugh Miles puts it in Al-Jazeera, his fascinating account of the world's most notorious television station, the new emir wanted Qatar to be like Switzerland, ''rich, neutral and secure.'' A television channel was part of the plan.

Kirkus Reviews