Sunday, November 18, 2012

Al Jazeera's Coverage: Final Verdict

By Matt Digby
md313208@ohio.edu

So another presidential election is in the books, and already some outlets have began speculating over who may run in 2016. While I think it is too early to start projecting who will run, I do look forward to being part of what will undoubtedly be another historic event in the history of our country.

But back to this election. I was excited to cover Al Jazeera not just because they were a foreign outlet, but also because I was aware they had received criticism in the past for supposedly being anti-American in their content. I was genuinely intrigued by the coverage they had to offer.

Unfortunately, they did not cover the election in the manner I had hoped. In their defense, there were many worldwide events in the months leading up to November that were more "immediate." But to say I'm disappointed at their lack of election coverage is a partial understatement.

This is a presidential election we just went through! Some are more exciting than others, but this is something that happens only EVERY FOUR YEARS! It doesn't matter who you vote for, but the fact that you can make your voice heard is truly empowering.

I sincerely hope Al Jazeera takes a different approach to covering the 2016 election than they did in 2012, which would include writing daily stories in the two months prior to Election Day; maybe getting exclusive interviews with the candidates so the audience can hear firsthand the views on foreign policy, and maybe increased efforts to expand their U.S. audience. I think they can do it; the question is, will they?

What have you thought about this "review" blog and my other posts about Al Jazeera? Have you monitored any other foreign outlets, and how has their coverage been?

Final thought: in case anybody was wondering who I voted for, let's just say I have a 1.000 percentage...

...of voting in every presidential election I could participate in! Thanks for following!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was genuinely intrigued by the coverage they had to offer.
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