Clinton: Al Jazeera is &#39;Real News&#39;

March 02, 2011 5:36 PM

ABC News'�Kirit Radia�reports:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear today that she is worried the United States is losing what she calls the ?information war? abroad.

China and Russia, she says, have started English-language networks that push their message overseas and even the Taliban controls the airwaves in Afghanistan.

And in the Arab world? Al Jazeera is king, and Clinton says she can see why.

?Al Jazeera has been the leader in that are literally changing people?s minds and attitudes. And like it or hate it, it is really effective,? she said.

?In fact viewership of al Jazeera is going up in the United States because it?s real news. You may not agree with it, but you feel like you?re getting real news around the clock instead of a million commercials and, you know, arguments between talking heads and the kind of stuff that we do on our news which, you know, is not particularly informative to us, let alone foreigners,? she added.

Clinton said that the US has dropped the ball since the Cold War, when VOA and others US broadcasts were influential.

?We have not really kept up with the times,? Clinton argued.

?We are in information war and we cannot assume that this youth bulge that exists not just in the middle east but in so many parts of the world really knows much about us. I mean we think they know us and reject us, I would argue the really don?t know very much about who we are,? she said, noting that America?s legacy of the Cold War, World War Two, and President Kennedy are lost on newer generations.

Clinton?s State Department has tried to keep up, especially on social media, where this year they have started Tweeting in Arabic, Farsi, and other languages. Secretary Clinton last week held a web chat with a popular Egyptian site that was able to gather 6,500 questions for her in just two days.

?We are really trying to play in that arena as best we can,? she said.�

- Kirit Radia

March 2, 2011 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (29)

User Comments

The king of Saudi Arabia, a country that depends on America for its survival, reacted with disappointment and dismay to his Cairo speech

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But luckily for them they have enough money to buy their continued rule from their people, unlike some of their neighbors.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 3, 2011 1:50:34 AM

China his hosts treated him disdainfully and prevented him from speaking to a national television audience of the Chinese people

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Because they're chickens.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 3, 2011 1:44:03 AM

An Asian leader stated recently "We in Asia are convinced that Obama is not strong enough to confront his opponents, but we fear that he is not strong enough to support his friends."

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"An Asian leader"? Wow that's really significant. You should make this person an honorary member of the Republican party along with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 3, 2011 1:37:01 AM

Just another example of the Obama Administration being INEPT ------ Obama is the neophyte being upstaged, out-negotiated, and laughed at by the world leaders!!

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It's funny how recently right-wingers, the infamous creators of "freedom fries", have suddenly taken a religious interest in the opinions of other world leaders.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 3, 2011 1:30:56 AM

"There are always two chess games going on. One is on the top of the table, the other is below the table. The latter is the one that counts, but the Obama Administration doesn?t know how to play that game."

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Maybe they do know how to play it, but are far more interested in making the game on the top of the table the one that counts.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 3, 2011 1:20:51 AM

Agree totally with Wesley- US TV networks focus on entertainment and escapism, because thats what the US public can cope with- having been dumbed down by the MSM to the extent that they only believe any/everything that is pumpted out by these propraganda machines. Example is on the live blog of Al Jazeera this morning, quote Sydney Morning Herald (and 17000 other quotes) as follows:

"Sydney Morning Herald. It contains the line, "Brega itself was impossible to reach on Wednesday." A quick Google news search will reveal that it's a line that has been repeated over and over again. Check for yourself. Our count is nearly 17,000 news articles repeating the line. Obviously we've not checked them all.

But, equally obviously, given our reporting through the day from Brega, and our photos from the town and its hospital, it wasn't exactly "impossible" to get there... "

US viewers seldom look beyond the US networks, to their detriment.

Posted by: Cybergran | Mar 3, 2011 12:44:08 AM

How many of the ones flaming Al Jazeera actually watch it? It's a lot less biased than the major US networks. By the way, Al Jazeera English is more professional and less biased than its sister channel. They have an iPhone app that shows AJE live streaming. I recommend it.

Posted by: Ahmed | Mar 3, 2011 12:29:47 AM

.... and deal with the fact that military force alone won't help anymore.. You lost our European harts and minds with old fashion points of views and right wing religious fundamental crap. Bush has hurt your goodwill bigtime in the rest of the world...

Posted by: Martijn | Mar 3, 2011 12:27:10 AM

Americans should stop being afraid of everything that is not American.

Posted by: Martijn | Mar 3, 2011 12:17:55 AM

The key question now: How does the US improve its media coverage of world events?

Something needs to be done improve and catch-up in the "information wars".
People want to know as it happens!

Posted by: kottaras | Mar 3, 2011 12:14:29 AM

Just another example of the Obama Administration being INEPT ------ Obama is the neophyte being upstaged, out-negotiated, and laughed at by the world leaders!! ---- I'll paraphrase a piece by Mort Zuckermann: ------- He has seemed uncomfortable in the role of leading other nations, and often suggests there is nothing special about America's role in the world --- he makes apologies for America's foreign policy, unaware it is silly to speak ill of your own country while in the lands of others.--- French President Nicolas Sarkozy openly criticized Obama for months --- Vladimir Putin of Russia has publicly scorned a number of Obama's visions. --- During his visit to China his hosts treated him disdainfully and prevented him from speaking to a national television audience of the Chinese people, the Chinese behavior was unprecedented when compared to visits by other U.S. presidents. --- The king of Saudi Arabia, a country that depends on America for its survival, reacted with disappointment and dismay to his Cairo speech. --- Obama reaches out to the likes of Bashar Assad of Syria even as he continues to rearm Hezbollah in Lebanon --- An Asian leader stated recently "We in Asia are convinced that Obama is not strong enough to confront his opponents, but we fear that he is not strong enough to support his friends." ---- We could sum it up as a Middle East commentator put it, "There are always two chess games going on. One is on the top of the table, the other is below the table. The latter is the one that counts, but the Obama Administration doesn?t know how to play that game."

Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | Mar 3, 2011 12:07:12 AM

So the administration of the only super-power on earth (at least for now) throws their hands up in the air in dismay that an ARAB-speaking media source could outplay American sources??? --------- This administration is SOOOOOOO far out of their league.... just give up and turn it over to more competent individuals!!!!! PLEASE!!!!

Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | Mar 3, 2011 12:04:35 AM

Posted by: Flash Override | Mar 2, 2011 7:10:43 PM

Flashy, you win the coveted Post-o-da-Day Award? for truth in posting.
Congrats.

Posted by: Noz | Mar 2, 2011 11:07:48 PM

Not only did she not know what was happening, she can't even keep up with the changes.

She compares State Department /DOD Propaganda VOA to Taliban communications.
Then compares ALJazeera's actual factual reporting with our News, which is also propaganda and pap. NYTimes reporters call ahead and get permission from the Government before publishing (See Raymond Davis, CIA agent arrested in pakistan 3 weeks ago after murdering 2)

And then she calls it a war. It's a war alright. A war for your mind.

We are not the most technologically advanced country anymore.
We are strangling with government enforced monopolies. They've sold deregulation in return for "campaign donations", aka. bribes.

Internet speed in South Korea is 100 MB download for $22 per month, Sweden was about 80Mb, the UK is about 50MB, and I'm sitting here getting 156-240k for $50. (or .156-.240MB. thats 2% of SK)

Our State and community colleges are being privatized and opened to foreign students for educations we cant afford because we are paying for bankers bailout gambling money.

Can you use your cell phone on any provider netwrok like they can in the UK?

Posted by: Parah Salin | Mar 2, 2011 9:41:51 PM

hate cannot be undone with appeasement

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But in Righty World it's believed hate can be undone with aggression.

Posted by: Skip | Mar 2, 2011 9:28:31 PM

The stock market could crash and burn, floods could hit the midwest leaving thousands without homes,gasoline could go through the roof, birds could fall out of the sky and our dollar devalued 20% in a couple of years and the main stream guys are reporting on Charlie, puff daddy or lady gag,gag.

The cable outlets are reporting-blasting on who said what at the other network.

Sad.

Posted by: david | Mar 2, 2011 9:14:55 PM

Al Jazeera is a political pawn and so are many of the major 'news' outlets in the US.

There is very little 'real news' out there.

Posted by: Joe White | Mar 2, 2011 9:06:55 PM

Americans have been told Al Jazeera is evil and many of them believe it without having ever watched much of it. What Al Jazeera has actually done is present all the points of view without blocking or censoring them....including some nasty ones and things people would prefer not to hear. Americans have grown used to having their media exclude / ignore points of they they would prefer not to hear. Like...what does Osama Bin Laden REALLY say about America? I'm sure almost no one in the US knows any of the specifics....10 years after 9/11. Al Jazeera reported this..as they should. It IS news. Just as they now report other things that other regimes would prefer to not hear.

Posted by: Steve | Mar 2, 2011 8:09:02 PM

Clintonspeak-"Al Jezeera is real news";the meaning cannot be anything else than, "we support their fascist ideology". About trying to influence Muslim youth to like America, hate cannot be undone with appeasement.It would be better to expose the parental brutality of Islam, so perhaps one day the youth will have a real social revolution (not like the ones that we see now).

Posted by: wesley | Mar 2, 2011 8:07:38 PM

I agree with Clinton..
When I want important real world news I head to the al jazeera english site .. it is factual and up-to-date gives hard news.

I -- long ago -- lost confidence in
the 'most popular' North American & British news sites.. as they were out of date and out of facts.
The 'editorials' lack information and research. Even the proofreading (If that even exists) sucks .
I scan CNN and FOX etc from time to time but there is no change there ..
Irresponsible and unprofessional and illegitimate.

''best to yu' .

Posted by: nilly willy | Mar 2, 2011 8:06:11 PM

I wasn't aware there was an "information war" between Al Jazeera and US media outlets, which suggests propaganda broadcasting from both. Information is about facts, not the factual manipulation that actually occurs in information wars with all sides.

I'm cynical about the claim of an actual information war, but not about alternative news sites on the web gaining precedence over the TV broadcasting networks. Maybe Americans are getting their fill of infotainment and the one minute sound bytes that pas for news.

Posted by: jane | Mar 2, 2011 8:05:54 PM

Al-Jazeera? Are they a respected world news agency or part of a global terror threat? I personally am not impressed by their biased coverage but the same could be said for our news media outlets here. Too political!

Posted by: Steve | Mar 2, 2011 7:31:21 PM

What a complete idiot Clinton has become under Obama . I used to support her and know I see she is just a lap dog for Obama. How insane do you have to be to say Al Jazeera is real news? It is almost as bad as saying MSNBC or CBS is real news. Or the the NY Times is impartial.It is a total joke. She has become a total joke. She should never have served with OBAMA.

Posted by: wade | Mar 2, 2011 7:22:06 PM

The US has become internally focussed and concerned only about enhancing their own position. President Bush invaded Iraq against the wishes of a large part of the world; but the US refused to step in to stop genocide in Rawanda, and voted to stop peacekeepers in the country from using force.

Now, when the US and allies could actually do something in the name of GOOD and bomb the airfields of a crazy dictator in Lybia, one that the US previously tried to take out with a cruise missile, now the US obfuscates and does nothing. So, will China or Russia step into the void? No wonder the US is losing respect in the world. They no longer know how to do the "right" thing. I am guessing the Obama minions can no longer determine right from wrong, either at home or abroad.

So they will sit on their hands, the Lybian people and their allies will sort out the mess; and the US will be hated by another nation for hundreds needlessly killed.

Funny how the US had no problem invading Panama and Grenada ... but I guess the times are a changing.

The US has been "Obamaized".

Posted by: Wayne Delbeke | Mar 2, 2011 7:15:31 PM

We don't have news networks in this country, only entertainment.

Posted by: Flash Override | Mar 2, 2011 7:10:43 PM

Awesome! Mickey Rooney (who I've always liked) is orally abused (and in other ways) and ABC and the courts are up in arms! But our Supreme Court today allowed oral abuse of our dead soldiers by religious zealots! Yeah, makes total sense!

Posted by: Bill | Mar 2, 2011 6:40:31 PM

President Kennedy?

Anyway, she is correct that the news broadcasts we produce at home and send out to the world are very critical of the US. China and Russia aren't going to allow that.
Voice of America still exists, but it was reported recently that Obama cut broadcasts of it into China.

I have mixed feelings about the American broadcasts people in other parts of the world see. On the one hand, it's hard to imagine why people in other countries would like is if we seem to constantly say horrible things about ourselves. Especially when many other countries don't do that.

On the other hand, many people I met from third world countries have expressed to me how much they love the idea that Americans can criticize our government.

Posted by: MayBee | Mar 2, 2011 6:31:16 PM

Before making judgments about Al-Jazeera English, why not CHECK IT OUT.

You all read English don't you?

(Jake Tapper is one of the few US journalists out there who covers real news).

Posted by: dh | Mar 2, 2011 6:29:14 PM

lol al jazerra. Owning our U.S. media abroad. What she say we should do about it?

Posted by: tax relief company | Mar 2, 2011 6:05:20 PM

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