Friday, September 08, 2006
Govt orders Al Arabiya to shut down
Politics
The Arabic satellite network Al Arabiya was ordered by thge Iraqi government on Thursday to shut down its Baghdad operations for one month. The other pan-Arab satellite network, Al Jazeera, had its office in the capital closed two years ago. Al Arabiya could not immediately confirm the order, apparently issued by Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's Cabinet. Officials at the headquarters said they have not yet been informed of a ban.
In July, al-Maliki warned television stations against broadcasting footage that could undermine the country's stability. A statement by the prime minister's office cited news reports that 'capitalise on the footage of victims of terrorist attacks.' He called on media outlets to "respect the dignity of human beings and not to fall in the trap set up by terrorist groups who want to petrify the Iraqi people." The statement said television stations should uphold the code of media ethics or else the government will take legal action against them.
The Arabic satellite network Al Arabiya was ordered by thge Iraqi government on Thursday to shut down its Baghdad operations for one month. The other pan-Arab satellite network, Al Jazeera, had its office in the capital closed two years ago. Al Arabiya could not immediately confirm the order, apparently issued by Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's Cabinet. Officials at the headquarters said they have not yet been informed of a ban.
In July, al-Maliki warned television stations against broadcasting footage that could undermine the country's stability. A statement by the prime minister's office cited news reports that 'capitalise on the footage of victims of terrorist attacks.' He called on media outlets to "respect the dignity of human beings and not to fall in the trap set up by terrorist groups who want to petrify the Iraqi people." The statement said television stations should uphold the code of media ethics or else the government will take legal action against them.
COMMENT: While freedom of the press should be acknowledged, al-Maliki is beginning to face up to the insurgents in less conventional ways. The insurgents are not only waging a ground war, but also a very media-driven psychological war, and they are winning. Al Arabiya is well known for its ability to break fast-moving news stories and for the occasional airing of video statements from militant groups. By closing down one insurgent 'mouth piece', al-Maliki is making the psychological media war a little harder.
A poll by the US State Department in seven Iraqi cities in October 2003 found that among Iraqis with satellite dishes, 37 per cent named al-Arabiya as their preferred news source, followed by al-Jazeera, 26 per cent.
Al-Arabiya was launched in March 2003 with an investment of $300m by the Saudi-controlled pan-Arab satellite TV pioneer MBC, Lebanon's Hariri Group, and other investors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf states. It was set up as an all-news channel to compete directly with Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV. MBC's Saudi ownership leads many in the Arab world to consider the channel biased. COMMENT ENDS.
