Al-Jazeera drew US viewers on Web during Gaza war

[oberliner]

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — American viewership of Al-Jazeera English rose dramatically during the Israel-Hamas war, partly because the channel had what CNN and other international networks didn't have: reporters inside Gaza.

But the viewers weren't watching it on television, where the Arab network's English-language station has almost no U.S. presence.

Instead, the station streamed video of Israel's offensive against Hamas on the Internet and took advantage of emerging online media such as the microblogging Web site Twitter to provide real-time updates.

During the 22-day conflict that ended last weekend, the station and its Arabic language sister, as they often do, aired far more graphic pictures than U.S. networks of dead and injured Palestinian children and women.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gc4ecI_i6L0Uy3Orlgs9Y2Fi1P-AD95TOKJ00

[Chulanowa]

1. There's a huge market for A-J coverage

People want to see what's going on "on the other side" - it gets tiresome seeing pasty white faces wearing khaki reporting on Gaza from Tel Aviv, or reporting about violence in Halabja from somewhere in the Green Zone... Or most amusingly, reporting on the resurgent Taliban... from New Delhi.

The fact that al-Jazeera is only shown in three places in the US by cable carriers, despite the obvious demand for "inside coverage" is yet another clue that our "media" is two parts entertainment and one part propaganda.

[shaayecanaan]

2. Hi my name is Kurt...

or Bud or Stan, or something similarly short and manly. And I'm reporting to you from the Israel-Gaza border, only about 40 miles from somewhere where something potentially newsworthy may actually be taking place. Although I suppose if you look over my shoulder you might see a cloud or something vaguely compelling off in the distance. I'm also wearing this fetching blue bullet-proof vest because it sets off my eyes nicely. By the way, tonight's lotto numbers are 7, 21, 44...