The TV Channel The Whole World Watches

Al Jazeera is the Arab language TV station with fifty million viewers worldwide. Set up by the government of Qatar, one of the wealthiest nations of the world, the channel gained instant notoriety and success after 9/11 with numerous scoops and first-looks at Al Qaeda videotapes. Never far from controversy, the channel is detested by the US administration and right-swing American media. Accusations of Al Qaeda infiltration at the highest level are constant. A star Al-Jazeera journalist currently awaits trial in Spain on terrorism charges.

But independent journalist Hugh Miles believed there was more to the story of the channel than met the eye. His investigation has produced the most insightful account of the network to date in his new book Al Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged The World. A timely publication in the year when al Jazeera plans to set up its English language channel, his book is a must read for anyone interested in Middle Eastern politics or media.
Miles’ background prepared him well for the task. The son of former Arabist ambassador Oliver Miles, he was born in Saudi Arabia, educated in Libya and studied Arabic at Oxford and in the Yemen. Along the way he also managed to get his undergraduate degree in dirty old Dublin. So how does a onetime Trinity student get in the doors of Al Jazeera?
“Well, I studied English at Trinity College for 4 years. I wrote for the Trinity News and for various magazines. I was also the assistant to the editor of the Irish News Of The World where I was basically a tea boy, which I must say it was an extremely educational and formative experience. I’d say I learnt more about writing when at News Of The World than in four years of studying English literature.”
You don’t need to study journalism to become an investigative reporter? Hugh laughs:
“I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do a journalism degree, frankly. I think the time is much better spent trying to get work experience.”
How did you prepare for the book?
“ A lot of basic research on the internet. Then I worked for Sky News as a freelance journalist, which gave me a pretty good insight into how a news agency is run. The internal mechanics, international bureaus, who talks to who and how programmes are made. But most importantly Al Jazeera opened their doors to me and I was very lucky to hit them at the right time and to win their trust.”
Were Al Jazeera worried as to how you would portray them?
“They were certainly concerned. But they’ve all had so much flak over the years. They’ve been accused of being in the pay of everyone from Saddam Hussein to the CIA. So I think they’re pretty thick-skinned – if you work at Al Jazeera you’ve got to be.”
What are their links to Al Qaeda?
“They’ve had contact before and after 9/11 . It’s proud of its contacts and regards it as a good sign for a journalistic organisation that they have contacts inside a terrorist organisation.”
Do Al Jazeera know of Bin Laden’s whereabouts?
“I think Al Jazeera would be in a very good position to find him if they so desired. On the other hand, there’s no way they’ll help legal authorities or the coalition to find him. They believe very strongly in confidentiality and keep their contacts secret.”
Is Bin Laden hiding in a nearby cubbyhole?
“There’s no question he exists, though he could possibly be dead. But I don’t think so personally – I think Bin Laden is alive and plotting. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I think the Americans would love to get hold of him. But I doubt that would solve the problems of terrorism they’re facing, and it certainly wouldn’t change the fact that the majority of Arabs currently hate America. The principal reason they hate Americans is because of the Palestinian issue and now the botched occupation of Iraq.”
What do you see for the future US presence in Iraq?
“I’ve got a very gloomy outlook for Iraq. Civil war could be on the cards, though I sincerely hope it's not. Britain should withdraw its troops, in a staged way, with programmes for development. As regards the US they are showing no sign of moving. I fear the Lebanisation of Iraq where the country devolves into a very complicated and multi-sided civil war. Then, like in the Lebanon, it only takes one suicide bomber to get into a military barracks and kill 250 American marines, and very much alter the American public’s appetite for war.”
What’s it like working as a Western journalist in the Middle East right now?
“ I had a lot of friction from ordinary Arabs, those I met in the street, in cafes and hotels. There’s a lot of very anti-western feeling there right now, which is sad, though not a surprise. It's shocking to see the change in reaction to the British, before and after the invasion of Iraq. Before we were basically trusted and now we’re clearly not.”
There is a feeling abroad that the Western media/government collusion has formed a kind of Orwellian alliance. Your book certainly doesn’t serve that alliance – have you noticed any ill effects to your self or your work because of this? Are more doors opened or closed?
“I’m sure there will be doors closed. Al Jazeera is such a controversial topic, and I know that my essentially positive conclusions about Al Jazeera are going to be very hard for some people to stomach. Al Jazeera’s got a lot of enemies and I’m sure that my book will make me a lot of enemies.”
What’s next for you, will you stay in the Middle East?
“Yes, actually, I’m thinking of writing another book about Cairo. I’ve spent most of the last year in Cairo, and expect to go back there pretty shortly for at least a year. I’ve got a bad feeling that Cairo is drifting towards big problems, maybe even revolution. Egypt exhibits many of the same signs that 1970s Iran did. There’s gathering social problems, corruption, hopeless policies, people are getting more and more pissed off with the government. There are no opposition parties, the only alternative to Mubarak is an Islamic one.
"That is not a stable situation. In 2000 there were signs of a revolution when the Egyptians refused to wade in on behalf of the Palestinians. Mubarak only managed to hold onto power by using all of the weapons at his disposal including state repression.”
If Hugh Miles does the same incisive job he did on Al Jazeera, the book should make for a vital read. What most surprised you about Al Jazeera during your time there?
“Well, I suppose I was quite naïve about the people working there. To be honest what impressed me most was the calibre of the Al Jazeera journalists, all highly educated, bilingual, totally professional. And how fully self-aware they were, none of them extremist in any way.”
How important is the channel’s future survival for the area?
“Al Jazeera has a great feeling of pride. They believe they’re really contributing to change in the Middle East. Most of the journalists that work at Al Jazeera never dreamt that they’d be working for a media organisation like this in their lifetime. Many spent years working for awful bureaucratic, oppressive Arabic state news agencies, where you couldn’t speak your mind or report what you wanted. When you go from that to working at a station like Al Jazeera it’s incredibly liberating. They’re fully aware of how important the station is and of how much trouble they’ve caused!”
Would you work for Al Jazeera yourself?
“Well, I wasn’t planning on doing it but it would depend on the offer. You know, I’m a freelance journalist and I’ll look at any offers!”