Al-Jazeera & Dems Join Forces At Democrat Convention In Denver, CO
Al-Jazeera plans to televise the Democrat Party Convention in Denver to all of the Middle East Muslim nations. No surprise here. Barack Hussein Obama is their favorite candidate.
From the Rocky Mountain News:
The city of Golden has rolled out the welcome mat for a global Arab news network that the Bush administration has condemned for its reporting of the Iraq war.
When Al-Jazeera comes to Colorado to cover the Democratic National Convention this month, it will use Golden as the backdrop to show the Arab world what life is like in a typical U.S. town.
“It’s a great opportunity to share a slice of life in small-town America in the midst of an engaging Democratic process,” Golden Mayor Jacob Smith said. “I’m sure we’ll learn a lot in the process, and so will Arabs about us.”
Al-Jazeera, which some describe as the CNN of the Arabic-speaking world, reaches 120 million viewers in 80 countries.
The U.S. has criticized Al- Jazeera for running stories on civilian casualties during the Iraq war. The station also broadcast videotaped statements from Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“The U.S. government does not like Al-Jazeera because there’s a sense they feed into anti-U.S. sentiment,” said Bella Mody, a professor of journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She called Al-Jazeera “an excellent alternative news source.”
“Its mission is to represent the Arab streets to the rest of the world and present the rest of the world to the Arab streets,” she said.
Al-Jazeera program directors could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The main station broadcast is in Arabic, but about three years ago, the network began an English-language news channel that airs on the Internet.
Al-Jazeera’s Washington bureau will broadcast from both Denver and Golden, reporting on issues that will include the economy, the environment, health care and the Iraq war.
The backdrop for its Aug. 27 broadcast from Golden will be the Buffalo Rose, an iconic bar in the heart of downtown, where the college-educated townies and tattooed Harley riders blow off steam after work.
On Aug. 28, the day of Barack Obama’s speech, an al-Jazeera crew will broadcast from a bar near Invesco Field at Mile High, Golden officials said.
t/b: Michelle Malkin
Wonder if Al-Jazeera plans to cover the Republican convention? Maybe no one there they relate to…