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Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

english.aljazeera.net

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Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#71

Post by corin_ »

JonnieCache wrote: post #31

Just so you know, aj jazeera is still broadcasting live from cairo. The egyptian authorities have revoked their license, but they are still carrying on regardless just as they have in previous days. I think the title should be changed, they have not in any real sense been "shut down."

It reads that the bureau has been shut down, not their activities.

They are still doing their coverage, but:

  - They have been kicked out of their Cairo office [1] [2]
  - Their "tv uplink" has been shut down [3]
  - Their correspondants in Egypt are no longer being named when reporting on air "for their safety"
[1] http://twitter.com/nolanjazeera/status/31681013461557248 [2] http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011130... [3] http://twitter.com/nolanjazeera/status/31755344522772481

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#72

Post by JonnieCache »

corin_ wrote: post #71
JonnieCache wrote: post #31

Just so you know, aj jazeera is still broadcasting live from cairo. The egyptian authorities have revoked their license, but they are still carrying on regardless just as they have in previous days. I think the title should be changed, they have not in any real sense been "shut down."

It reads that the bureau has been shut down, not their activities. They are still doing their coverage, but: - They have been kicked out of their Cairo office [1] [2] - Their "tv uplink" has been shut down [3] - Their correspondants in Egypt are no longer being named when reporting on air "for their safety" [1] http://twitter.com/nolanjazeera/status/31681013461557248 [2] http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2…

I am watching it right now and they are showing a live feed of Tahir square, Cairo.

Maybe their studio there is down and they're feeding from a lone camera on the ground, straight back to their studios elsewhere in the world.

EDIT: This does in fact seem to be the case.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#73

Post by borism »

rajbot wrote: post #66
phlux wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My point was more; "Wouldn't it be interesting if [big, well recognized american media personality] went to Al Jazeera"

David Frost, while not American, has had a show on Al Jazeera English since 2006: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/frostovertheworld/

David Frost, while not American

Every american should know David Frost, if they don't they're not american.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#74

Post by aj700 »

yequalsx wrote: post #5

I guess this is a ringing endorsement of Al Jazeera. It's the network the dictators fear. I can see some people saying they are being shut down because they are supporters of radical Islam but from what I've seen of them this is pure nonsense. It's nice to have a news network that doesn't suck so bad. It's shocking that this network does better (in my opinion) at news reporting than American news networks given that…

All undemocratic Arab governments fear Al Jazeera.

ie all Arab governments and the US if they are US backed ones.

with one exception. Al Jazeera obviously never digs into the affairs of the Qatari royal family.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#75

Post by drags »

btilly wrote: post #46
ck2 wrote: post #36

While this is a really bad sign, another really bad sign is they are flying F-16s low over civilian crowds right now, for no other reason than to intimidate them. Just saw it on CBS and it's pretty freaky and scary. I'm starting to think this is going to end really really badly. Are democratic revolutions even possible anymore today, given the technology and sheer firepower the small number in power can wield against…

How quickly we forget. Tunisia, earlier this month. In fact that example was the impetus behind the Egyptian protest movement. If (as seems likely at this point) Egypt falls, expect to see several other governments fall as well. This is as momentous a time for the Middle East as the fall of the Iron Curtain was for Eastern Europe. (Incidentally said fall gives several more examples of how military might doesn't preve…

Not to be too pedantic, but the Eastern European "refolutions" were made possible because a) the Soviet Union and b) local Communist governments simultaneously made the decision not to use force.

Those decisions (and their publicity) were a necessary condition; it's what made the difference between 1956, 1968 and 1980 on the one hand, and 1989 on the other.

It will be a long and dark road for Egypt if Mubarak can successfully order the military to slaughter the protesting masses. The revolution will fail, both the government and the opposition will lose credibility in the eyes of the people and it will be years or decades of strict martial law.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#76

Post by AlecSchueler »

ck2 wrote: post #36

While this is a really bad sign, another really bad sign is they are flying F-16s low over civilian crowds right now, for no other reason than to intimidate them. Just saw it on CBS and it's pretty freaky and scary. I'm starting to think this is going to end really really badly. Are democratic revolutions even possible anymore today, given the technology and sheer firepower the small number in power can wield against…

Isn't it likely that the F16s are up for reconnaissance? Any time there's a touch of trouble here (in Belfast), there's invariably several helicopters over head. Nowadays these are normally small police helicopters, but up until a few years ago heavier military helicopters were common. I imagine that a plane would be preferable in a bigger city such as Cairo, especially if the protests are spread out.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#77

Post by DrJokepu »

swaits wrote: post #45

Is this Hacker News?

Yes. On Hacker News, we discuss subjects that people who like startups and hacking find interesting. That's not solely hacking, programming, IT or startups, there are a lot of things that young, educated people like to talk about, and major political events are one of them.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#78

Post by natnat »

raganwald wrote: post #69
galactus wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ok, ok. They do an excellent job entertaining people. That's not the same thing as real journalism.

This thread has entered a twilight zone inhabited by True Scotsmen: Raganwald: "American journos act like they work for WalMart." HN Chorus: "Those aren't Real Journalists." :-)

Doing something well and doing something profitably are far from the same thing. No one would deny that Microsoft had a successful, profitable stranglehold on the PC operating system market from the early 1990s to the 2000s. But few people would say that it's because they made good software.

Likewise, making meaningless "news" that gets people's attention but doesn't inform anyone may be a good way to sell ads and gain market share. But it doesn't inform people, and that's what good journalism does.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#79

Post by redthrowaway »

protomyth wrote: post #64
redthrowaway wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More to the point, it's actively abused. You can't say people aren't allowed to lie, so they can heavily editorialize or even outright fabricate and still call it news. Because the average person watches the news to be told, not to think, networks that do as above in a way that reinforces people's preconceived notions are rewarded with viewership. In an effort to regain viewers, the so-called "legitimate" networks re…

That's a tad bit of hogwash. PBS and NPR are not neutral parties. They have to appeal to viewership just like everyone else. They ask for donations and corporate sponsorship.

I think you can see the difference in their appeal, however. NPR and PBS need to attract enough viewers to keep their programs going, which are made fairly cheaply. The BBC and CBC are government-funded, and have never really operated with an eye towards profitability. You can argue that they aren't objective news sources, but the quality of the news they provide is still much better than on the big US networks.

Re: Egypt shuts down Al Jazeera bureau

#80

Post by [deleted] »

raganwald wrote: post #69
galactus wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ok, ok. They do an excellent job entertaining people. That's not the same thing as real journalism.

This thread has entered a twilight zone inhabited by True Scotsmen: Raganwald: "American journos act like they work for WalMart." HN Chorus: "Those aren't Real Journalists." :-)

[deleted]
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