Al Jazeera

1. How effective do you think the Internet will be for Al Jazeera as it attempts to reach a U.S. audience?

The internet alone will do little for Al Jazeera and its chances of being picked up by a cable company. While the internet is an incredible tool, and has changed media and news coverage as we know it, it is still somewhat a niche. With all of the doubters and naysayers towards Al Jazeera, the station must be far above average for it to break into the mainstream. The choppy audio and video quality that comes with internet streaming makes Al Jazeera appear to be a second-rate station. Regardless of content, Al Jazeera looks like it belongs on the internet, and it will be hard to convince enough important people otherwise.

2. Based on your own observations, do you think that Al Jazeera English should be allowed to broadcast in the U.S.?

Yes. There is no reason Al Jazeera should be kept off U.S. airwaves other than personal taste. The broadcast companies are not against providing the channel because of legal disputes. They just don't want customers revolting. It is a much more legitimate and well-run organization than a lot of cable channels out there right now.

3. What, if anything, do you notice about Al Jazeera's approach to telling the news? How is it different than the U.S.-based TV news outlets that you have experienced?

I did not notice much of a difference. If anything it was more straight-forward and to the point. There was much less banter between talking heads, and more news content and video clips. Of course, the segment I watched this morning was during the United Nations convention, so it could be an extenuating example.

4. While on the Al Jazeera site, be sure to check out the network's published Code of Ethics. Based on your own observations, do you think they are adhering to them?

Again, there was one major story going on at the time I viewed, so it is unfair to say judge if they adhere to addressing every issue. Everything else very professional and exactly how they laid out their code. Part of this comes from the notion that there is far less personal opinion and much more strict news. There is much less chance to offend someone or exhibit biases.