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Al Jazeera Set to Air in Canada
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by stevesmys | June 29, 2009 at 09:48 am
228 views | 42 Recommendations | 5 comments
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Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based television network, may soon be airing in Canada after a lengthy battle with the Canadian Radio and Television Commission.
Al Jazeera English, the international spin-off of the Arabic news service, could be cleared by summer with Canada's biggest satellite and cable providers indicating they are prepared to carry the network.
Available in Canada only on the Internet or though satellite signals pulled in from the United States, Al Jazeera English was launched in 2006 amid a flurry of media attention. This week, the network will be picked up by cable carriers in the Washington area – another step toward getting broader carriage in North America – but Canada remains one of its biggest challenges.
When Al Jazeera Arabic (AJA) sought clearance to be carried in Canada in 2003, it came up against deep concerns from Jewish groups over its coverage of Israel. Though the CRTC approved Al Jazeera Arabic for carriage, the regulator attached stringent conditions that proved too much of a hurdle.
This past spring, programmers at the network sat down with its opponents to work through any concerns. In the past, Al Jazeera Arabic had been accused of allowing anti-Semitic content on air.
Critics in Canada wanted assurance that this would not be the case. When Al Jazeera Arabic was cleared in 2003, the CRTC made cable and satellite carriers responsible for blacking out offensive content.
Faced with that task, none of Canada's major carriers wanted the headache of adding the channel since they would have to monitor the call-in shows the Middle East network often broadcast.
To ensure the programming jives with the CRTC's standards and regulations, Tony Burman, managing director of Al Jazeera English and former CBC executive, has proposed a special consultative committee to look over the on-air content every six months to work out any concerns.
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judyinjerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel
Recommendations (42)
albertacowpoke
Canada
Rhonda J Mangus
North Tonawanda, New York, United States
sivakaran
Toronto, Canada
Roy C
Vancouver, Washington, United States
Paschen
Narita, Chiba, Japan
sara star
Halifax, NS, Canada
charliemcmillan
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
kate
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (5)
at 10:19 on June 29th, 2009
Al Jazeera has a great history of bringing informative and critical perspective to the world events and Canadians will definitely benefit from this.
Thanks for this post.
at 13:04 on June 29th, 2009
This is great. It's been a long time coming.
at 14:09 on June 29th, 2009
Agreed. In terms of world coverage, their unrivaled. They're THE go-to source for the impovershed nations, in my books.
at 17:27 on June 29th, 2009
Al Jazeera has been available by satellite for years in the US. My Persian friends keeps me informed as to what is going on.
Welcome to the 21st Century, Canada!
Then, again, FOX News had trouble getting in as welll.
at 17:36 on June 29th, 2009
:) It is good and Roy does make a valid point.