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The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 10, April 24-May 7, 2009

Who Watches Al-Hurra?

In reference to President Obama's interview with Al-Arabiya, Nadim Hasbani reiterates for the Huffington Post that that above all this was a sign that the new administration lacks confidence in the US government's own Arabic language news channel, Al-Hurra.

This move is, according to Hasbani, "symbolic of the widespread failure of Western-owned Arabic TV channels to establish themselves as credible news sources with Middle Eastern audiences." He argues that if Arabs watch the news from mainstream Arab media such as Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, they do not watch Western-funded news channels.

Arab audiences still regard Western-funded Arabic channels such as BBC, France 24 and Al-Hurra with suspicion. "They suspect them of hiding 'Western agendas' behind programming, particularly when it comes to political content," he notes before adding that it reflects distrust towards Western policies in the Middle East.

Hasbani argues that the most striking example is Al-Hurra, which translates as "the free" in Arabic. Its journalism standards rank far below the level of major American channels, and its editorial stance on the all-important Palestinian conflict leans sharply in favor of Israel.

He adds, "The result is that Al-Hurra's current viewership represents less than 3% of the potential market and drops below 2% in times of crisis."

The only channel that distinguishes itself is Al-Jazeera English which obtained international recognition during the Gaza conflict. The Arab-speaking world is in dire need of the kind of coverage Al-Jazeera English provides, he continues.

"To help fill this void, Western governments must do more than pour money into perceived propaganda machines like Al-Hurra," he maintains.

Arabic channels operated by Western states must maintain high journalism standards, provide balanced coverage and include uncensored news about controversial subjects of high importance to Arab viewers, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. "This is the only way to attract a wider audience in the Arab world," concludes Hasbani.

However, former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy James K. Glassman disagrees on his blog and states that in less than five years, Al-Hurra, with a minuscule budget, has established itself as a significant source of news and information in the Middle East, with 26 million viewers tuning in at least once a week.

According to Glassman, it tops Al-Jazeera in Iraq. Referring to the launch of the series Al-Youm, Al-Hurra has improved its content although the press failed to report it.

Glassman states, "My own view is that there is a pressing need for Al-Hurra to exist and to thrive." There is also a need to complement Al-Hurra by funding TV production that can be placed on other Arabic-language networks.

Al-Hurra's comparative advantage against Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya lies in the fact that being based in the US allows Al-Hurra to interpret America for Arabic-speaking audiences far better than other networks, continues Glassman. However, Al-Hurra must strike a balance between having a presence in the region and having strong US coverage.

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