Fear of knowledge .... or Hypocrisy

The American government isn't blocking it so this article is really pointless. Companies have the right to carry or not carry any station or programming they choose and those decisions are usually based on economic considerations. It costs money to carry a station and they will only carry it if there is a large demand for it by their subscribers.

As for ISPs blocking acces to the site, I'd be curious to know which ones as I haven't seen any evidence of this.

"Fear of knowledge .... or Hypocrisy"

More like taste. This is an example of what a lot of "thinkers" claim the free market can't do. Police itself. Despite the continual decline of humanity, there are evidently still a few lines we won't tolerate people crossing. Granted, instead we are watching film of accidents, people eating bugs, etc., but at least there's SOME standard.

I live in the Middle East and have watched the new channel (Al Jazeera International), since it launched early November. As opposed to the Arabic channel, the International channel is
aimed at viewers of CNN, Sky and BBC ie, it is extremely professional and has top journalists and news-people poached from the afore-mentioned channels and others.
To set minds at rest ,Sir David Frost, Bill Foster and many other top broadcasters, are unlikely to flight Al Quaeda as anything other than a terrorist organisation and you will certainly not see anything gruesome on this channel. The Arabic channel is also being refined and will have a higher profile with less bias.

To ban Al Jazeera in the US would be a stupid move even though it provides competition. Al Jazeera has grown up.

LW: English-Langauge AlJazeera is different from the newly launched Channel Aljazeera/English. The first is a mere translation of the Arabic Broadcast, the second is a completely separate one addressing the English speaker from the Arab point of view.

I understand the difference between private and government obligations. Regardless of who is doing this it is not healthy and it is not the American spirit.

there are evidently still a few lines we won't tolerate people crossing.

I'd be interested in knowing what line you speak of.




Still, this does bring up an interesting question.

Are we really, as he says, "naive," are we caught up in everything that has happened so far...all the...well, anti-muslim/islam rhetoric/BS that exists?

Can we -no- would we be able to see things from other view points?


~L

That is my point. I believe we should and WE are able. Knowing what others say and how they think, even if it is against you, is very important. We cant formulate our own decisions in the right way to serve our own interests unless we KNOW all sides of the story. Truth always surface to the top even with all the falsehood piled over it. and THAT is what we should be trying to do. If we listen enough and think enough we will recognise which is a truth and which is propaganda. Then we are best able to serve our own interests without paying so dearly to achieve so little.

If we listen enough and think enough we will recognise which is a truth and which is propaganda.

Truth...Propaganda...It's all relative. One's truth is another's propaganda, and vice versa.

Double Post.

>One's truth is another's propaganda, and vice versa>

For the casual listener, that may be true. But if we listen and think about what we hear we will always discover which is which. Not everything is relative ..... . not by a long shot. sooner or later truth becomes so obvious that people wonder how did they miss it for so long. Propaganda is a spin on facts of reality, truth is facts of reality itself. Facts of Reality are not subject to personal opinions. They are there for all to see. If someone chooses to ignore them, that doesnt change their nature. If I choose not to look at the sun or if i ignore the clouds that are covering it and then I say there is no sun, does that change the fact that it IS there?

For the casual listener, that may be true. But if we listen and think about what we hear we will always discover which is which. Not everything is relative ..... . not by a long shot. sooner or later truth becomes so obvious that people wonder how did they miss it for so long. Propaganda is a spin on facts of reality, truth is facts of reality itself. Facts of Reality are not subject to personal opinions. They are there for all to see. If someone chooses to ignore them, that doesnt change their nature.

Ehh, not all people will admit the truth...even if it dances naked in front of them. Some people prefer blindness to sight, fiction to fact. It's sad, but it's true, and I can think of a person I know who is like it.

It may not change what it is...but, tell that to those who spun it, or revealed it.

As opposed to the Arabic channel, the International channel is
aimed at viewers of CNN, Sky and BBC ie, it is extremely professional and has top journalists and news-people poached from the afore-mentioned channels and others. - Adnauseam

I don't watch much television, but I've been visiting the al-jazeera website for a little over a year now.

WWW Link

I remember using Al-Jazeera as a source for an article a while back. To attack the credibility of the source, a blogger cried,"You're going to use articles from our enemies to support your arguments?"

There was no convincing that guy, but all in all, the Al-Jazeera website is professional, they do provide excellent in-depth reporting and they do, oddly, remind me of the BBC. Al-Jazeera is one of many sources I consult daily for news.

knowledge or propaganda?

The way I understand it, the freedom of speech applies only to American citizens, and does not extend to those of other nations.

The way I understand it, the freedom of speech applies only to American citizens, and does not extend to those of other nations.

Okay, the following is my opinion.

I believe in every human beings right to freedom, that if they disagree with something....that they can say so,and the right to live their lives the way they see fit.

"I believe in every human beings right to freedom, that if they disagree with something....that they can say so,and the right to live their lives the way they see fit."

I'm sure you don't believe people have the right to slander one another or issue knowingly false threats, like shouting "Fire!!" in a crowded theater. I'm also sure you don't believe people should have the right to murder, rape, and steal, either.

So, given you believe that expression and "living your life as you see fit" can be regulated, it just becomes a sliding scale, right? There is no hard, objective ideal here, just your values against other people's in a democracy.

Xythe: Freedom of speech includes the right to listen and the right to know ..... and that is what this whole article is all about. for an operator of a cable, satellite or news paper or ISP company to deny access for anyone from anywhere based on their own liking or bias should not be permitted. As long as the content does not violate the rules under which they operate, they have the obligation to allow that content to be available to the American Citizens. They operate a public service not a private property. and by law, providers of public services are not allowed to deny their services based on bias or personal likings. bias against knowledge and information is worse than bias against color, gender or any other form of bias.

"and that is what this whole article is all about. for an operator of a cable, satellite or news paper or ISP company to deny access for anyone from anywhere based on their own liking or bias should not be permitted."

...so cable companies should be forced to give channels to anyone that asks...

"They operate a public service not a private property. and by law, providers of public services are not allowed to deny their services based on bias or personal likings."

Nope. Al Jazeera isn't an islamic organization. They aren't non-profit or some kind of political organization. They are a for-profit business just like Fox News or any other, and whether they get on the channel lineup of cable companies will depend on user demand. The government forcing cable companies to carry channels regardless of their financial interests would be heinously abusable, wouldn't you think?

Or do you think we should all be forced to watch them, too, since you seem so friendly to government oppression. Common carriage doesn't apply here. If it did you could force every store in America to carry any magazine you want, too. I wonder, would you feel the same if they were forced to carry Israeli news channels?

So, given you believe that expression and "living your life as you see fit" can be regulated, it just becomes a sliding scale, right? There is no hard, objective ideal here, just your values against other people's in a democracy.

Eh, if I understand you correctly - yes, like anyone else/anything else.

I'm sure you don't believe people have the right to slander one another or issue knowingly false threats, like shouting "Fire!!" in a crowded theater. I'm also sure you don't believe people should have the right to murder, rape, and steal, either.

You are correct.

I dont like it/don't think it is right, but nothing stops them from doing such/attempting it.

BakerStreet: you certainly misread my reply. i said if "the content does not violate the rules under which they operate". That includes prfit/loss rules of course. and yes for sure i would like to see what the Israeli channels say too. Actually i make a point of trying to get what they say one way or another. Information never hurt. And far from it, i am not asking the government to force them, all i am saying they should follow their own rules without bias. also, i never said anyone should be forced to see anything. just dont deny them access if they comply with your own rules, and let the market work. The bias in this case is very obvious specially for the ISP. and that is what makes it really look bad.

they refused to carry the channel and blocked access to its internet site.

Where and when did this happen? I have no problems whatsoever accessing the Al Jazeera site, nor have I ever heard of any ISPs blocking it.

Dear me... what an inept bunch of politicians Americans are.

The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees to its citizens the right of freedom of speech. It does not guarantee to them the right of freedom of hearing, or more generally, the right of freedom of perceiving.

Even more specifically, it does not guarantee to the citizens of America the right to perceive the anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-civil society, anti-laissez faire capitalism bullshit propaganda produced by demented ragheads whose sole agenda is the overthrow of American society and American values.

Be damned to the Arabs and their ilk, and their point of view. The legitimate Government of America defines these persons and their views as antithetical to everything America and Americans value: that in itself is sufficient ground for viewing with considerable suspicion everything produced by these people. If you are an American why should you wish to know what these devils think or feel? Why should you be concerned with their point of view?

By all means, let the values of Americans determine what is and is not worthwhile to be perceived by Americans. You berate American Corporations for, supposedly, denying access to the hate-filled rants of those who oppose America - why should such opposition be condemned? It's the right of all peoples to defend what they value most, and to prevent (as far as it can be prevented) the corruption of those values.

As I said above, if you are an American what interest do you have in the opinions of those you know are your enemy? If you have such an interest, and are fool enough to declare it in public, it's my opinion you should be put up against a wall and shot.

But then, this is America. And, unfortunately, we don't do such things here. Unlike the vile ragheads whose opinions you are so concerned for, who do not merely and humanely shoot their victims but either behead them in public, or pour kerosene over them and burn them to death in the public square.

Be damned to them, and their opinions.

Ricree: Aljazeera.net is different from the english.aljazeera.net. This second one is the one i am talking about. the site is there but you cant access its live video due to the restrictions. They say they are still attempting to remove these restrictions. lets hope it is resolved soon. Try to access the video from their site , here is the link:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm

That's how you think their business should be run. That's not how they think their business should be run. Look into how the cable industry works. Sure, there's a lot of channels, but that doesn't mean that everyone but al jazeera is getting a slot.

I'd be curious as to how you feel about the recent OJ Simpson thing. Do you think that Fox did the wrong thing giving the show the axe? No doubt a lot of people would have bought the book and watched the show, but they felt the harm it would do their brand by association outweighed the gains.

Isn't that the same case here?

EmperorofIceCream: (The legitimate Government of America defines these persons and their views as antithetical to everything America and Americans value: that in itself is sufficient ground for viewing with considerable suspicion everything produced by these people) hmmmm, so i should really close my mind and just let the government decide for me and if we all follow that advice then the government will decide for all of us what is what !!!!!. regrdless of who is saying what a fair minded person should listen and see what is being said with a healthy dose of suspicion then think and decide if that makes sense or not. that is the whole essence of Democracy. Surrendering our right to know and think and decide for ourselves to the Government is a dear principle and dream of every dictator ever existed anywhere at anytime.

(if you are an American what interest do you have in the opinions of those you know are your enemy) to know our enemy, and see what makes them an enemy and how can we respond to that in a way that best serves our interest. Is that not good enough reason? There are many more good reasons. May be that enemy could be neutralised by simple things or more understanding, may be we can achieve what we want without wars.

Your opinion is that i should be shot because i want to see what our "enemy" says about us? the "vile ragheads" dont even do that. They carry CNN, BBC and all the rest and their people hear and read that we describe them as "vile ragheads" and describe their religion as evil and call them ALL terrorists. And do you know what they say after that: they say that is the US government, the American people are not like that. You know why they say that? because they also see and hear the other side of America and they read about it and learn what it stands for.

Calling people names does not solve any problems. and we certainly have problems. shouldn't we have the right to know why these problems exist? and how best to solve them? or we just go to wars before we know what kind of enemy we will be fighting? i guess u dont believe in "Give me liberty or give me death", as for me .... go ahead ... shoot.

EoIC is a troglodyte, and not in any way representative of why this channel didn't make it here.

You should know that if there were a large enough market for al jazeera it would be right there alongside people eating bugs and Flavor Flav picking his harem of women with no self-esteem. For every complaint from folks like you who believe there's too much in the way of discrimination, there's a thousand people like me who wish they'd be more selective.

Won't this channel be owned by the same company? Do you think it is a valid consideration that the money we help this channel earn will further empower the OTHER channel that has no problem giving voice to the worst moral equivalence? Al jazeera is seen as an outlet for terrorist propaganda, and people don't want to buy into that, even if they smooth it all over here.

Even more specifically, it does not guarantee to the citizens of America the right to perceive the anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-civil society, anti-laissez faire capitalism bullshit propaganda produced by demented ragheads whose sole agenda is the overthrow of American society and American values.

Thank you.

I'd be curious as to how you feel about the recent OJ Simpson thing. Do you think that Fox did the wrong thing giving the show the axe? No doubt a lot of people would have bought the book and watched the show, but they felt the harm it would do their brand by association outweighed the gains.Isn't that the same case here?

If not, it's pretty darned close.

Al jazeera is seen as an outlet for terrorist propaganda, and people don't want to buy into that, even if they smooth it all over here.

Thank you.