Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Bush administration officials once referred to Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite network based here, as 'All Osama All the Time' for its regular showings of Al Qaeda video tapes and frequent appearances by anti-American commentators," write Jane Perlez and Jim Rutenberg. Last week, however, several U.S. officials accepted an invitation to a barbecue in at the home of Al-Jazeera's news director.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
In the run up to war in Iraq, foreign news websites are seeing large
volumes of traffic from America, as U.S. citizens increasingly seek news
coverage about the coming war. "Given how timid most U.S. news organizations have been in challenging the White House position on Iraq, I'm not surprised if Americans are turning to foreign news services for a perspective on the conflict that goes beyond freedom fries," said Deborah Branscom, a Newsweek contributing editor, who keeps a weblog devoted to media issues.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
Within six months of going on the air Radio Sawa -- Sawa is the Arabic word for "coming together" -- has more listeners than BBC and local stations in Jordan according to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the U.S. government agency that oversees Radio Sawa and the Voice of America. The station broadcasts 24 hours-a-day from seven transmitters throughout the Middle East and features a mix of Arabic and Western pop music with news headlines every half-hour.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
An employee at England's top-secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has been arrested following the London Observer's publication of a leaked U.S. National Security Agency memorandum written by a top official calling for "aggressive surveillance" of UN Security Council delegations.
Submitted by Laura Miller on
"Canada's military has launched a major effort to help senior officers express empathy during tragedies, avoid nervousness, craft sound bites, avoid gaffes and 'deflect' questions," CanWest News Service's Peter O'Neil reports. A critic of the effort says that the federal government should focus on policy and performance rather than spin, suggesting that the military believes "that we're going to be the author of a lot of bad news over the next while, or associated with a lot of bad news and, therefore, we better figure out how to spin it."
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Charlotte Beers, the former advertising executive who has been in charge of the Bush administration's global campaign to enhance the image of the United States among Muslims, resigned today for what she said were health reasons," reports Steven Weisman. Under Beers' supervision, the U.S. State Department produced videos, pamphlets, booklets and other materials, but her efforts were largely seen as ineffective.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"The messages from U.S. embassies around the globe have become urgent and disturbing," reports the Washington Post. "Many people in the world increasingly think President Bush is a greater threat to world peace than Iraqi President Saddam Hussein."
Submitted by Laura Miller on
Within an hour of posting a press release headlined "Children, Pregnant Women Need Immediate Protection From DEHP, Says Sweeping New European Union Proposal" on its website, the public interest group Health Care Without Harm
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The threat of war in Iraq is driving increasing numbers of Americans to international news websites in search of the broader picture.
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
The Gallagher Group, headed by Republican policy analyst Jamie Gallagher, has signed a $300,000, one-year deal to assist Qorvis Communications in its PR work for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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