But in general we have developed a code of conduct in dealing with Iraq that I think everyone is observing. We try to maintain certain kinds of procedures in authenticating the news item and try to get the opinions of various parties for that particular item. Let me ask you about criticism that we have heard from some of your prominent competitors in the making of this film. It's that you may try to be objective, but you emphasize the sensational in a bid to attract a big audience. How do you respond to that?
I will say the following: In the last few years in the Middle East, the main hot spots in the world are here, around us, around the territory of Al Jazeera. If you speak about Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Darfur -- wherever -- Iran, Lebanon -- these areas have all become open conflict zones. And a state of conflict also means a state of transformation.
People become more emotional, moreoverwrought, and, at the same time, you may see less rational behavior in dealing with issues related to the conflict than you would see with ordinary situations. Therefore, we Arab TV stations have to project a certain reality. On the ground, if you interview heads of political parties, all politicians, all ordinary people, all of them could have a degree of emotion that is higher than ordinary because of the conflict.
That is the reality that Al Jazeera is covering. So, I do reject the accusation that Al Jazeera is presenting sensationalism. I think that it is projecting what we have in the Middle East, rather than trying to influence a course of events.
We interviewed some of the top people from Al Arabiya. They didn't mention you by name -- they are very polite -- but they said their prominent competitors did not reflect the reality of what an Arab is. If you like to consult the audience, I think they would say different, because Al Jazeera has been ranked as the most credible source of information in the Arab world. So, first of all, if the audience thinks that Al Jazeera is presenting evidence on the ground much better than others, obviously they will watch it.
And this is what's happening right now. Al Jazeera is the most-watched [satellite TV network] in the Arab world. Second, I would ask if Al Jazeera coverage of the Palestinian conflict or the Iraqi situation or the Afghani situation during the last few years has proven much more accurate or not.
To my knowledge, we have not been confronted with any factual mistakes or errors that Al Jazeera has made. We have made some casual mistakes, and always, I say, we do make mistakes and we do apologize like everyone else, because we are humans. Have we taken an editorial line to magnify certain eventsor to reduce the influence of certain events?
I don't think so. We have not been challenged with that, and no one was ever able to prove it. So for me, Al Jazeera has accepted the fact that it does report from within the Middle East. It does respect the collective mind of the Arab world. It does see through Arab eyes, and, therefore, it does offer a perspective that might be different from others, but definitely it is very respectful of the Arab world.
When we were in Lebanon, one of the Al Arabiya correspondents said to us -- again, without mentioning you by name, but clearly he was talking about you -- that during the war, you all were much more pro-Hezbollah, in hereyes and in the editor's eyes, than was warranted. Where is that coming from? Again, this is a conflict zone. How are you going to measure the balance of the story? We had five correspondents in Lebanon, and we had also five correspondents in Israel reporting from the other side.
We carried press conferences for the Lebanese movements and parties, and we carried press conferences for the Israelis whenever they occurred. We hosted Israeli spokesmen and -women and also Lebanese. In the list of guests for any day, you will find it balanced in a way in which the Israeli voice is there, the American adviser is there, the Lebanese voice is there, and so on.
Now, on the ground, if you cover the rest of the Arab world, most of the Arab world during the war in Lebanon was for the Lebanese party, the Lebanese fighters or Hezbollah at that time.
So when you come up with a story from Morocco or Algeria or Palestine or wherever you go, and these people are supporting Hezbollah, that doesn't mean that Al Jazeera is supporting Hezbollah. That is the difference between us and others. We were reflecting the situation in an Arab world. We are not trying to interfere. While other TV stations did take a political line, supporting a certain kind of financiers, who maybe have an opinion regarding the conflict, Al Jazeera did not.
Three of the major countries in the region -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt -- did take a line that was critical of Hezbollah fighting in the south, and they described it as a sort of adventure that was not calculated. Some of the media that is attached to these countries also took that particular line of criticism. Why Al Jazeera did not take the Qatari official line, for example, is because the Qataris have their own official line on many issues.
And Al Jazeera has its own professional line that it follows. Sometimes it's in line with what the Qataris believe; sometimes it might not be. When we started 10 years ago, we started with a new spirit of reporting -- a new feeling came out from Al Jazeera reporters and journalists.
We thought the brand during the last 10 years had become very powerful. And it was acknowledged as one of the best and strongest brands in the world … in the media world, at least. So we thought, OK, why don't we invest in expanding the brand? So we are moving from being a pan-Arab regional TV station to being an international media corporation.
We thought, OK, let's start the English channel. English is the biggest language, and if we succeed with the English channel, it means we have progressed from a regional to an international brand.
And it's well documented that you've had trouble getting into the U. Does that really matter for you? Were you looking beyond that? Politics, unfortunately, often plays against us, but also for us. When the Americans decided to criticize Al Jazeera, they first criticized, and after that they attacked Al Jazeera. As you know, the American forces unfortunately bombed two of our buildings in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Al Jazeera could have links with terrorist organizations -- that kind of image.
Unfortunately, that perception could pressure the cable companies to not put Al Jazeera on their list. But in my opinion, once they realize that Al Jazeera is a professional voice from the south that is necessary to complete the picture about what is happening in this part of the world, which is important for American foreign policy as well, I think it will be a necessity for the Americans to watch Al Jazeera. And therefore we will get this credibility, and I'm sure that Al Jazeera will also very soon be in the American market.
Very important. For us, the American market is important. For us, the American politics in the region and the American involvement in the world has become very important. So, therefore, definitely America is the strongest power on Earth right now, and you need to be there. In my opinion, it's not only the American public. I think, outside the region, this region is not very well known, and I do blame sometimes the media for that.
When journalists come to this region, they come to explore, to discover what is happening. They spend a few days, maybe a few weeks, if they are lucky. They package some stories quickly, and they just put it on the screen. This region is so complicated. It is a mosaic of cultures, a mosaic of ethnicities, a complicated civilization with historical growth that has deep roots in many realities.
So you need to look into it from within. You need to understand it. You need to understand the complexities. And I think Al Jazeera was much better than others in understanding the complexity of the Middle East. Nadia Jolirwan and Christine Ayun relax in hammocks tied to the trees they planted.
A family of elephants passes through one of the first forests planted by the women's reforestation team back in If they enter the estates, people will chase them away. We measure their growth and the flowering and fruiting pattern, and compare it to the same species of trees that are growing in the wild. Mariana and her team walk downhill on a steep portion of road where the van was unable to descend with all the passengers inside. Opinion The Global South does not need debt.
We need climate justice quotes Opinion by Mitzi Jonelle Tan. What can the UN do for Afghanistan now? Most Read. US journalist Danny Fenster jailed for 11 years in Myanmar. Sudan army chief names new governing Sovereign Council. To find out which channel Al Jazeera America is on in your area, click here. If your local carrier does not carry Al Jazeera America, call your local customer service department and request that they add the channel to your TV line-up, or request it here.
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