Letters from the Editor in Chief

It is largely ignorance of one another's cultures that fosters mistrust and apprehension. I would be grateful to view Al-Jazeera English for whatever insight I may glean of life on the other side of our world.

I think Canadians are becoming sophisticated enough to tell the difference between anti-semitism and disagreeing with Israeli policy regarding Palestinians. I would eagerly welcome Al Jazeera on my dish and I have been checking their website for the last couple of years. We need the fresh international perspective and I like the reliance of on the street interviews coupled with informed interviews with leaders.

ah yes... the crtc protecting us from...what is it again they are protecting us from? Is it from ourselves?

Despite the plethora of news channels found on regular cable, I still feel a lacking in my dose of international information. I commend any network for seeking to expand for the sake of information and worthy reporting, and time well tell if Aljazeera will remain committed to substance rather than the bottom-line. Unfortunately, the latter has prevailed for much of the major news sources.

Wow...just read this article and the relating Act from the CRTC webpage and I've never, ever seen a clause like this one quoted below, singling out Al Jazeera from the other applicants...I'm baffled, is there presidence which would prompt the CRTC to impose such a protectionist, moderistic clause?..does the CRTC watch the Trailor Park Boys show?

"The Commission found that this condition is necessary to prevent, to the greatest extent possible, the distribution of abusive comment on the service pursuant to the Commission's statutory responsibility to regulate and supervise all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system with a view to implementing the broadcasting policy set out in the Act, while at the same time minimally impairing freedom of expression."

The kicker is the last line of this clause, it's completely false and without merit, I would say this law has strongly impeded freedom of expression by putting such extrenuous requirements on Al Jazeera and the cable companies that it makes it impossible for them to proceed with broadcasting in the Canadian market. Someone fix this please, I want my Al Jazeera.

Al-Jazeera does not shy from showing the damage done by the foreign policy of the economic powers of the world. They also ask questions when fed stories by governments that don't add up. Because of this, they will likely never be shown in the U.S.

I thoroughly recommend the documentary "Control Room" for any who have not seen it. It covers Al-Jazeera at the beginning of the Iraq war, and the struggles they had with the US. It includes an analysis of the day when the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down in Baghdad, and gives evidence that the entire event was staged. While most North American networks were broadcasting this story without any hint of questioning, Al-Jazeera was prevented from doing indepth reporting of the even because the U.S. had "accidentally" bombed their Baghdad station just before the event.

Tony Burman replies: Actually, the Arabic service of Al-Jazeera is already seen on one cable service in the United States- the Dish Network. Presumably, they will eventually get around to broadcasting Al-Jazeera English. However, the largest U.S. cable operators have expressed no interest in running either of the Al-Jazeera services. By the way, Dish Network can be pulled down in Canada if you have a satellite dish as part of the unregulated 'grey' market.

We absolutely need Al-Jazeera English language service in Canada to give us the other side of the story. If ignorance and fear do go hand in hand, this would be the best thing that could happen to us. It might even dislodge embedded journalism.

Let's get get the CRTC moving and move that censorship on out!

Co-sign,

I don't need anyone telling me which opinions are fit for me to view or not. I think we should all have the opportunity to decide if Al-Jazeera English is something for us. I will go on a limb here and assume most of us would like to make up our own minds. Are they afraid of what we might think? Or maybe what we might see? Regardless it's none of their business...love free speech!

I agree with you Mr. Burman, and the comment from Mr.Chislett as well. Where the CBC does a fairly good job in covering international news, far better than the US media spin(and its all about us), there are always two sides to a story. I have read the english version of Al-Jazeera web site from time to time, and there is more to the story than western media is showing. I have found it fairly balanced, but quite blunt too, that some would rather have just go away.

The CRTC is still showing how narrow minded they are, from regulating Al-Jazeera to their out of touch Voip ruling that has just been over turned this week. Perhaps the industry minister can step in on this decision too. Let's hear the other side of the story.

Being able to view Al Jazeera/English would give us a better understanding of that part of our world. We would be sensitized to the cultures it represents. It could give us a different perspective of the people of the region. More International News could lead to greater understanding and world-peace.

I wholeheartedly agree with Tony Burman and the other comments prior to mine - Al-Jazeera deserves to be broadcast, and will be very enlightening to all Canadians who choose to pay attention. Their website is always interesting, and seems to be very well-balanced. It is important for us to be open to all viewpoints, and get the perspective of the world from those who are in a better position than the average Canadian to know what the real picture is, and to interpret events from a closer perspective.

No minister in the present government will override the CRTC on this decision. It's hard to believe that a Liberal government minister would either. After all, a Liberal government had a chance and didn't already.

If Bush's America OK's Al Jazeera English then Harper will too. But even if the Bush administration has Al Jazeera somehow forced on them by Congress Harper still won't OK them here. And let's not delude ourselves about Minister Bernier. He stepped into the VOIP decision at the direction of Harper who was convinced to intervene by the big telecomm companies.

I agree with the comments of Daniel Seaman of the Israeli Government Press Office, but I would add that Al-Jazeera would also be much better than the CBC in presenting Israel's side. Perhaps Canadians will benefit from having another viewpoint, and I only hope that Tony Burman will have been watching Al-Jazeera English to learn of those many occasions when the CBC lost its impartiality while covering the Middle East.

If we're truly spreading democracy in the middle east, wouldn't it make sense for us to hear what "the street" in the middle east is saying? instead of lies from the Bushs and Blairs?

Allowing Aljazeera into American living rooms means...
- white house, congress, senate, and pentagon will no longer be able to get away with crimes against humanity unchecked.
- CNN can no longer call itself "the most trusted name in news".
- The prison wall in the West Bank can no longer be called a "fence".

If Aljazeera was on american cable, it would not have taken 2800+ dead american occupation troops for the American street to realize there is something very wrong in Iraq!

I think not having Al-Jazeera English in Canada would be a huge mistake. Why there wasn't more scrutiny over the reporting of the supposed "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq suggests that media outlets in North America are more about entertainment than they are of journalism. I believe that we could all use a different perspective and hopefully one that is not biased. If Al-Jazeera English can be the flashpoint for consumers to demand better sources of reliable information about the world, perhaps it would make us less ignorant.

Al-jazeera offers well balanced report and commentaries including Canadians. Their website is infformative and clear. They offer editorial comments but they are clearly identied- unlike much of the western press. No one should be afraid of information unless they are unsure of their own sources.

In a country where freedom of expression is written in the Constitution, right or wrong, it is unconstitutional to suppress freedom of speech. Denying Canadian access is Al Jazeera illustrates how Canadians are subjected to the will and whims of media barons who control and dominate the media and inflict their views on the public, like it or not.
Media concentration, aided and abetted by the CRTC, is responsible. The lack of political will makes a mockery of Canadian intelligence to choose and decide for themselves if given a total perspective. I say, bring on Al Jazeera. It is time for the truth!

I have never seen Al-Jazeera tv but I have followed their website for a while and found their reporting fair in what I have read there. They have also covered issues that I care about that I did not see covered by the CBC, CNN or other major North American news sources.

The CRTC should stop putting up impossible hoops for them to jump through. Allow Canadians access to this important alternative news source.

“The cost of freedom is to give freedom.” (can’t remember the source of this quote) but I think it is appropriate in this case. Aljazeera English should be available to those who want to view it.

I believe all information should be presented from all sources and people allowed to take it all in and make up their own minds. In an ideal world this is how everyone would operate. But this is too much work for the majority of North Americans.

People want to be told what is going on and how they should feel about in the time it takes them to drink a morning coffee. CNN, FOX, etc have made an art form of this. Too many people are addicted to this junk, why would they look somewhere else?

Personally I don't think having the channel available would make a whole lot of difference for *most* people in the US (and maybe even Canada). The White House and the Pentagon would continue as is, CNN would still call itself the "most trusted name in news" (and most people that watch it would agree) and the majority of people in the US and Canada would only care about a prison wall in the West Bank if they had direct family over there or if it somehow affected the amount of taxes they paid.

Watching something that challenges and provokes thought might distract too many people from checking up on the latest Brad and Anjali gossip.

In order to be informed in such a manner as to make a knowledgeable decision/opinion one has to be able to view the news from a 360 degree perspective. Currently, our news is very myopic. It is too American centric. Al Jezeera, though it is controlled by a wealthy individual, reports the news from a number of perspectives that just happen to have a focus in the middle east. I think that having Al Jezeera as an option would certainly offer greater reporting across a region than the self absorbed, almost tabloid type of reporting that one receives from CNN. Protect us from CNN and give us Al Jezeera!

The fact is that *in the past*, there are well-documented examples of Al Jazeera's Arabic network presenting terribly one-sided, hateful reporting. The CRTC was right to be cautious.

However, taking Mr. Burman's review at face value, it seems like the "new" Al Jazeera may be taking a new approach. Check out www.memritv.org for a sampling - the same hateful speakers are represented, but the interviewers seem to be staying more neutral.

Let's monitor this station for a while to see whether the neutrality lasts. If it is truly committed to balanced reporting, then it can certainly be a constructive ingredient in the global need for different peoples to co-exist without hatred.

If Fox news can be broadcast in Canada, then Al Jezeera should be available as well. I think that Fox is pure propaganda of the worst kind and represents all that can go wrong when media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few .......

Wait a minute!!! If I am not mistaken the "real" Al-Jezeera shows beheadings and spews anti-semetic and anti-western (or pro-Islamic) venom needs to be banned or at least on double-secret probation until it can prove none of that vile and disgusting material will find its way into Canada. Free speech is not absolute. The do-gooders who think it would be nice to have Al-Jezeera in Canada won't be watching it on a daily basis or probably at all. But the people who sympathize with the "real" Al-Jezeera will be watching it all the time. For once, I agree with the CRTC.

I suppose if we have to put up with the likes of the CBC then why not Al Jazeera! Thats what being Canadian is all about...."FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION". As we Canadians show our willingness to respect freedom, rights and democracy by way of extending an openness to have Al Jazeera come into our lives, I do have to reflect on the "unwillingness" of the many Muslim countries that would not dare have the CBC or CTV for example come into their lives. Why is it that countries like Canada are constantly under the microscope and having fingers pointing at us for even daring to speak our minds without fear of reprisals and prejudices being inflicted upon us! But when it comes to Muslim countries by which Al Jazeera for all intents and purposes represents, they are perceived as being incapable of doing any wrong! Why is the CBC or CTV not invited to broadcast in Iran or any other Muslim country for that matter under the very same terms and conditions that have been offered to Al Jazeera! Its a fair question to ask and in my opinion, it is the Muslim countries that live in darkness and continue to not see the light of day. Canada has the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to offer their citizens but what does the Muslim world have to offer their citizens in comparison! Thats why I am very pleased to be a Canadian that is willing to offer our home to people like Al Jazeera without fear but many Muslim countries are not ready or willing to offer the same to us....

Open and Balanced news and information is what the media is suposed to provide...if we have to put up with American-style "shouting" matches on cable news channels such as FoxNews, then Al-Jazeera should have a fair chance to broadcast thier point of view. If we don't like it, we can turn it off.

I believe that Al-Jazerra should be allowed to broadcast in Canada.We are a multicultural society(or so we like to believe)and as such have to be open to all cultures.I have watched some of their programming via the in ternet and was very impressed with their coverage of events.I did not sense any sign of bias.

Agree. We should be able to view Al-Jezeera news network.

We need to reconstruct the CRTC from the ground up! They are nothing more than legalized/legislated discrimination. Let broadcasting be decided on it's own merits - and let the cards fall where they may! It's like forcing radio & TV stations to broadcast a certain percentage of Canadian content. How can they compete aagainst satellite and internet broadcasting which play anything and everything? Let's get some of the new forward-thinking generation of listeners on the CRTC, instead of the old farts that run it like a dictatorship from yesteryear!

CBC!!! I read those e-mails 2 are for the CRTC and the rest are for Al Jazeera. Now who is biased and unfair. As for me I agree with the CRTC, don't need it DON'T WANT IT. Who cares what happens over there they only bring their problems over here when the come here. Too many problems, Don't need it.

T.B. replies: These replies are a complete and accurate reflection of the e-mails we have received. The only ones we don't publish are the rare messages that are vulgar, infantile and/or that accuse my mother of wearing army boots.

Jerry O'Connor in Calgary. thankyou for your thoughtfulness.

I don't disagree with your main point.

I would only point out that neither the CBC nor CTV have the capacity to be global news sources.

Would that they did, frankly. Either, even with their faults, would be an improvement over the presumptions of CNN's America centric presumptions.

Since the CBC website has been maderecently fairly crappy,God knows why,the first news I check when I turn on the computer during the day is Al Jazeera.net. Cable tv is not the only game in town anymore. Different perspectives are seeping into the North American consciousness currently controlled by the Israel Can Do No Wrong Lobby and it's all to the good. The world is actually bigger than pop culture and the axis of evil and its narratives need to be published.

Wow CBC, are you allowed by the CRTC to actually say what you think now? That's great news!

Why, up until now, I thought the CRTC had muzzled my satellite provider! Whenever I have asked them to look into getting us Al-Jazeera service, (in Arabic even!) just because I'm a curious person who likes to "think" and "see" for myself, they just don't seem to get the picture.

I can see their point. If they did THAT, who knows what horrors might follow!

Oh yes! You can just imagine the impact on our public morality and political well-being of watching daily horrors: like President Chavez on the screen giving one of his speeches filled with promises of discounted heating oil for poor seniors in New Jersey or some such lunacy! That would be right after the Iran-Venezuela soccer replay, or some such wicked evil.

CRTC, Forever On Guard For Thee!

No brainer. Al-Jazeera beats Fox News and CNN on any given day (may be that is why they are banned in North America).

We live in the information age. Those in CRTC who think that Canadian needs "sanitized" information are only a century behind in their understanding of technology and the power of the Internet. People will watch what they want and CRTC can no longer play Mr. Censor Board Grand Pa anymore.

I rather watch Al Jazeera on cable or sattelite than all the infomercials to call scantily dressed ladies inviting me to call them for big money. It is also unreasonable to expect the cable companies to be responsible for the content, nobody held them responsible for collin powels telling lies on tv. The crtc is nothing but an old boys club of appointed political hacks who have no clue what they are doing anyway and should be abolished. Their conditions on al jazeera is nothing short of a police state imposed censorship.

I'd appreciate the opportunity to decide for myself what are my likes or dislikes

Perhaps Mr Burman was unaware that Al-Jazeera English _is_ currently available on a North American satellite system, viz GlobeCast WorldTV, where it is a "free-to-air" (or "FTA") channel [i.e. no paid subscription required] on the K-under band of the Intelsat Americas 5 satellite. The following question and answer from the GlobeCast WorldTV FAQ may be of interest to Canadians who'd like to judge the content of Al-Jazeera English for themselves:

Q: Is the GlobeCast WorldTV Service available in Canada?

A: No, GlobeCast WorldTV hardware or channels are currently not available in Canada. [However,] Canadian customers can view FTA channels with any DVB compliant MPEG 2 satellite decoder.

In my household, we pay for the "News Package" in our monthly digital cable subscription. In this we get what I wanted -- access to BBC World and i-Channel -- but we are also forced to receive Fox News.

Frankly, I would rather be able to flip to Al-Jazeera's English service than have Fox inflicted upon me. And I am willing to pay! How long will I have to wait until "market forces" force the issue? Is it just the CRTC that stands in the way?

Inasmuch as we are no longer facing technological limits as to the number of stations available much of the raison d'etre of the CRTC seems a bit outmoded. Although I fully support Canadian Content and other rules on Canadian broadcasters I can see no particular reason to impose limits on our ability to pick and choose from what is available globally. Much is made of "anti-semitic" broadcasts on al-Jazeera - although over several years I've seen no such on the web site - but let us face the fact that there are numerous lobbies in Canada desperately trying to prevent Canadians from seeing anything other than the "approved" viewpoint in their particular quarrel. The CJC in particular will reach for any argument to prevent not the anti-semitic rantings (if any) of assorted wild-eyed clerics, but rather images of the day-to-day brutality of the Israeli occupation from reaching and informing Canadians, or indeed plays, library books (age-inappropriate here) or anything which undermines their view of the Middle East. They are by no means alone, as I understand there is some opposition to allowing the chinese CCTV (which, incidently, can be quite interesting)into our homes, as well as questions about RAI. In a universal reply to all objections to access I simply declare that I and my fellow citizens are more capable of sorting the sheep from the goats than any of the self-appointed groups who pretend to be protecting us while merely promoting their own interests. The only restriction I would impose would be that any station whose national language is not english, yet provides an English broadcast to Canada, provide a French version as well.

Cheers,
dba

Al-Jazeera is already here it's called the CBC.Lane Brown

Robert from Toronto says: "If I'm not mistaken, al Jazeera Arabic shows beheadings."
Robert, I have news for you: you are mistaken. They don't, never have done and never will. It's in their code of ethics and conduct on their newsroom wall. I know, i've seen it!

Lane Brown demonstrates the viewership intelligence quotient that concerns the CRTC.

It is unfortunate that AlJazeera is not (and likely will not be) available in Canada. When it comes to international news, especially with respect to the Middle East, I turn to the English language websites of Al-Jazeera and Ha'aretz for unbiased coverage. Yes I said "unbiased." It is the corporately-owned (and controlled?) North American media that I would accuse of bias.

Although CBC quite often rises above this, in general I find that our reporting does little to challenge the blissful ignorance of most Canadians as to the plight of the vast majority of the world's population - many of whom are Arabic, Muslim, or both. Al-Jazeera gives voice to these people.

It is my experience, both as a priest and a peace-activist, that most people 'do not want to know', perhaps because it would force us to take a hard look at ourselves (and we might be afraid of what we see).

Denying Canadians access to Al-Jazeera amounts to nothing less than a blatant attack on the freedom of the press.

Denying Canadians access to Al-Jazeera ensures that we will remain blissfully ignorant of the suffering of much of the world (and our role in that suffering).

Denying Canadians access to Al-Jazeera is yet another obstacle along the road to peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples.

A sad state of affairs to be sure. But at least we have the internet...

It's rather ironic for the CBC to be promoting objectivity and diversity of opinion.

If only we could get that from the CBC itself.

I won't be surprised if my views aren't posted, or deleted shortly after they are. That, too, would be rather ironic.

T.B. replies: Well, be surprised!

Forgive me of my dramatics, but the future of humanity will fall into one of three categories: i) the West continues to oppress and exploit the East, ii) the War on Terror turns to nuclear war, or iii) we all actually learn to live with each other, and maybe even love each other. Call me crazy, but learning to live with each other somehow sounds like the wisest path. For this to happen, we can't just Americanize the world through globalization. All parts of the world and all cultures need to express themselves to everyone else. We need to hear the stories of the Arab people, not just stories about Arab extremists. Sometimes I think half the reasons Islamic extremists hate the West so much is because they must only hear Pat Robertson, Karl Rove, and Bill O'Reily; they must only hear that side of the West. They don't hear our songwriters or poets, our grassroot activists or common voices. But more than anything, we don't hear the voices of their artists or activists. We don't hear their journalists or their common voice, we only hear Wolf Blizter and Sean Hannity tell us how easy it is to get liquid explosives on planes. That kind of censonship and media irresponsibility will lead only to war... well, MORE war anyway.

The English-language online news of al-Jazeera (" the Island ") has, for years, been freely accessible at
http://english.aljazeera.net/News

Click on the site's "About Us" for al-Jazeera's Code of Ethics, which definitively establishes where they're "coming from".

I lived in the 3rd Reich and was not allowed to listen to BBC. I lived in a communist country and was not allowed to listen or watch western news. Yet, secretly, I managed to do it in both these totalitarian states. Have I even fewer freedoms in Canada?

Thanks for this information. I'm looking forward to viewing this channel soon.
I have always felt that our world wide news content is extremely limited on our Cable channels. I pay Rogers an exorbitant amount of $65.00 a month for mostly garbage. I would love to cancel the service but my spouse won't agree.

The CRTC would be hard-pressed to find Al Jazeera programming with as much "abusive content" as that spewing from Glenn Beck of CNN Headline News - yet his voice is hard to AVOID whilst surfing mainstream media.

The time is long past due for Canada to come out from behind the veil - of intellectual inbreeding and informational isolation. The CRTC stands in our way. This must change.

You can watch Al Jazeera's English service on its website at www.aljazeera.net/english. Click "watch now" from the column on the left side.

They allow Fox News and not Al Jazeera? Now *that's* fair and balanced for you!

Having heard some of the bad press the Arabic Al Jazeera channel got, I spent some time looking at the English Al Jazeera web site and was pleasantly surprised. Lots of very interesting in-depth features and analysis there which all sounds very reasonable to me.

I can sort of see what the CRTC was trying to do with its "conditions", but I think it was misguided. I believe this channel should be available in Canada for us to make up our own minds.

So, the CRTC is worried that Al-Jazeera might display bias, but they're not concerned about FOX? Apparently some sorts of bias are more acceptible than others.

As a Canuck living and working in Kuwait I have access to Al Jazeera English. I watched it for five hours the day it launched, and I was very impressed. It’s a very sophisticated and well funded network, and I must agree it’s far more balanced than CNN, BBC, or the CBC. It’s a sad day when I can get access to media in an undemocratic authoritarian state like Kuwait, which is censored by my own "free" country. As my Canada turns more to the right, I can only hope that our basic freedoms are not further eroded. I was shocked to know that the Arabic Al Jazeera was not offered in Canada, as it is offered on American satellite TV. Are we becoming more conservative than our neighbours? What’s going on Canada? :(

The CRTC before the NHL lockout began a time loop on coaches corner because of the FEAR! that MR. Cherry's comments could offend someone. (that's pretty sad) Now, this is quite wonderful to see the interest of info. and insight of a station such as al jazeera. But, as nice as it would be for the baby sitters, news media and CORPirate sponsers to S T O P manipulating us and creating anxiety just to save ourselves from ourselves.
IF Canadians would stop being so sensitive and actually stand up for your freedoms such as speech, expression, a right to information and education OH YEAH..FREE THINKING...FREE WILL is the right of every human being.In the 1980's the lords prayer was taken out of public schools because of THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION, which also follows SEPARATION OF RELIGION AND GOVERNMENT, just something our friends from the mid east don't share with us .
If you want to tune into Al Jazeera YOU WILL FIND A WAY!!, whether or not the CRTC puts the baby gate down for you, I'm pretty sure eventually you'll all realize if you just STAND UP your big enough step over it anyway!!

P.S. Please Don't take offence you might hurt my feelings>>>ha.ha

I am a retired journalist and broadcaster who is again incensed by an uninformed and just plain stupid decision of the CRTC. Its relevance, if it ever had any, seems to be past. How dare the commission deny me access to a world news channel! I have had to deal directly with the CRTC many times over the years and I can tell you the commission really doesn't know what the hell it's doing.

Thank you, Tony, for your fine article.

Bill James

It seems people here are blaming the CRTC however the CRTC has approved the channel with the stipulation that the providers have a delay to catch any hate speech that guests on the network have been know to make. If the cable/satellite companies want to carry it that is their business. Obviously they will not want to carry a channel unless it will be profitable and they should not be forced to.
Personally I have no interest in watching it and would not want it on my television. I have a hard enough time with CNN.

shell out the 5.95 a month for a high quality stream online....its excellent quality journalism..nothing u see on american/canadian tv

best money i've spent online....for a couple cents a day

http://english.aljazeera.net is their website. Click on it for yourself and make up your own mind. See how it compares to what we are usually get. To me, it seems to fill in a lot of the gaps in our news coverage, such as Asia and Africa.

The CRTC's reasons for banning Al Jazeera sound eerily like the reasons Russia has decided to ban "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". Their reason? "Borat" offended ethnic feelings.

When I have more news choices in an Arab Muslim country, than you do back home in Canada, something's horribly wrong.

I'm writing from Dubai (United Arab Emirates), where I have my pick of BBC World, CNN, Al Jazeera, Deutche Welle, France's TV5, Italy's Rai and a whole host of other international news services – most of them for free!

A local "Middle East" satellite channel, MBC, even relays live broadcasts of ABC's Good Morning America, CBS' Early Show and other U.S. news programs.

Now who's guilty of censorship?

You turned me. I was already composing my outrage as I read your piece. The more I read, the less outraged I became. Perhaps that is the point. Now I want to subscribe through the internet and see for myself. Thank you.

lw

To me it is abhorrent and shows the bias of the CRTC that Fox News Channel can be broadcast in Canada, while Al-Jazeera cannot. Where is the danger in information? If we can hear the opinions of the right, why can we not hear a station that broadcasts straight down the middle? As a Canadian Jew, I am saddened by the close-mindedness of groups like the UJA and the B'Nai Brith, who apparently cannot stomach someone speaking the truth about the situation in Israel vis a vis the Palestinians.

I have been watching it for the past few days (over the internet) and am very impressed. It is a sad state of affairs that our Western media is no longer the best at this type of reporting, but completely unacceptable that our government tries to prevent us from viewing the best.

How quickly we forget.

"WASHINGTON, OCT. 11 2001. Suspicious that Osama bin Laden is using American TV to send coded messages, the White House asked the networks on Wednesday to think twice before airing his organisation's videotaped messages.

``At best, this is a forum for prerecorded, pre-taped propaganda inciting people to kill Americans,'' the White House Press Secretary, Mr. Ari Fleischer, said. At worst, the broadcasts could contain signals to ``sleeper'' agents, he added. ``The concern here is not allowing terrorists to receive what might be a message from Osama calling on them to take any actions.''

After a conference call with the National Security Adviser, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox agreed they would not broadcast transmissions from Osama's Al-Qaeda group without first screening and possibly editing them."

Jaoquim R., how quickly *who* forgets *what*?

Do you think that among all the hyper-excited, deceptive, surrealist hyperbole that has emanated from the Bush White House this one single statement should be treated as being either accurate or truthful? Especially inasmuch as it was issued barely a month after that horrendous day at the height of the resulting rage and fear.

I, for one, haven't forgotten that the neo-conservatives started laying the groundwork for the invasion of Iraq the very next morning.

I trust nothing from DC.

It is time that the CRTC was either completely abolioshed or its terms of reference brought into the modern world.
We are subject to media control in Canada from monoplised and powerful interests. The quality of jounalism in all forms is poor. biased, and does not compare with many other nations. We end up with a a predigested soup of "received wisdom" from a few people in news agencies. That's why there is no choice, and one has to go outside Canada for education, truth, and coverage.

Um...no Aljazeera should not been shown in Canada. Why do we need to hear from the arab "street"? We already do and it says the same thing "death to this and that, death to those who criticize us and are not the same as us. death, death, death"
Why do we need to hear that? We get it everyday on all news channels.
Give me American news reports any day over that.

I have had the privilege to work at Al Jazeera International/English news bureau in Washington DC, and the spirit I have felt there is like nowhere else I've been. (Just to mention that I worked all over the North American continent for most of big media companies and TV stations.)
Ethnical mix and news gathering ethics par excellance. If AJ suceed in it's ambitions it will be the most objective news channel.

Having started its broadcasting,Aljazeera have shown the world the true episodes behind what is going in the world.I appreciated its programs as it brings out the information without fear and biasness.The damage caused by the so called united states have caused havoc even to yet born babies of which no one cares about it.Thanks to Aljazeera for having these programs(like 101 East,witness,inside Iraq etc).I urge the other medias to follow the same.

While I totally agree that al-Jazeera should be available to Canadians, that point is more about the CRTC's ham-fisted handling of CanCon and its protectionist bent than it is about the content of al-Jazeera.

Tony, are you really aware of the nature of this network? It is thoroughly anti-Semitic (and no, I don't mean critical of Israeli policy, I mean anti-Jew) and if you don't believe me, just read the unvarnished views of its editor-in-chief, Ahmed Sheikh, here:

http://www.worldpoliticswatch.com/article.aspx?id=395

I wonder how you feel about the opinions of this man. They're opinions he admits he has trouble leaving out of his assessment of the news.

He is, essentially, your counterpart at the Arab world's premier journalism outlet, which you have just defended here.

Mr Robert Stewart's comment is false.
The URL he mentioned in whole does not contain even the world "jew". It's completely about Palestinian suffering by the state of Isreal. Unfortunately, Mr Robert Stewart is one of those many who insist that criticizing Israel = being anti-semitic. How single minded is that?

Hi:

Why am I denied the right to subscribe

to al- jazeera? Whatever happened to

FREE SPEECH. The terms imposed on

cable providers amounts to censorship.

Roger

To Wageeh from Egypt:

You can't be serious.. Just because Ahmed Sheikh never uses the word 'Jew' in his interview, his attitudes aren't simply critical of Israeli policy, they're critical of the existence of Israel, right down to its establishment as the root cause of the entire Arab world's woes.

Here's an excerpt:

Q: Do you mean to say that if Israel did not exist, there would suddenly be democracy in Egypt, that the schools in Morocco would be better, that the public clinics in Jordan would function better?

A: I think so.

Q: Can you please explain to me what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to do with these problems?

A: The Palestinian cause is central for Arab thinking.

Q: In the end, is it a matter of feelings of self-esteem?

A: Exactly. It's because we always lose to Israel. It gnaws at the people in the Middle East that such a small country as Israel, with only about 7 million inhabitants, can defeat the Arab nation with its 350 million. That hurts our collective ego. The Palestinian problem is in the genes of every Arab. The West's problem is that it does not understand this.

So it's not Israel's foreign or domestic policy that's the problem, it's the country's existence. And the fact that it had the temerity to win the wars that were launched against it since its founding almost 60 years ago.

Imagine the nerve of those Israelis.. defeating the armed agression of Egypt, Syria, Jordan et al in 1948, 1967 and 1973. How humiliating.

This from a guy who is essentially Tony Burman's counterpart at al-Jazeera. What a journalist.

I am eager to see this,too. Why not?

Al Jazeera will succeed because it is free from any interference of politically motivated groups like Green Peace, IPAC, Exxon, Shell, BP, Churches, Republicans, Democrats, Wahabist, . ...etc. It is free like a bird. Please give it a chance ... it is great :-) I love it.

What Aljazeera says about its broadcast as being the new frontier and about setting the news agenda is true.Aljazeerah should therefore be in every home in the US,Canada and every part of the world.

Greetings from the Arabian Gulf. I am a proud Canadian living abroad and soon to return home. I can't tell you how greatly I will miss not watching Al Jazeera (english). I love the programming, news and special features it runs. It's intellegent, stimulating and most of all, it has a fresh perspective. An un-biased one. We are living in a time where the role of the media is changing. The 6pm news is a dinosaur in the land of podcasts and the internet. It's time for change. Al Jazeera got my attention and will have me as a loyal viewer...even if I have to pay for it online. You won't catch me watching the dribble that is currently broadcasted in Canadian homes.

Thank you for your article on Al Jazeera. In my opinon what the CRTC did was blatant bias and pandering to a small group of pro-Israel voices that would prevent Canadians from having access to a balanced news source that is available in Israel. Not the least of those voices came from the members of Parliment who form the Friends of Israel committee and some members of the Senate. In my view it had nothing to do with protecting Jewish sensibilities and everything to do with shielding Israel from criticism in Canada. It was a time when the Liberal Government was shifting to a pro-Israel stance contrary to the known views and wishes of a majority of Canadians. Everytime I have to pay to see Al Jazeera (although it`s excellent programing is worth it)I get angry all over again. I am angry at those MP`s and Senators that use their position to thwart free speech in Canada. I am angry at the aggressive pro-Israel lobby groups in Canada that tries to shut down criticism of Israel by calling critics of Israel,including Jewish people anti-semetic. I am angry at the self serving arrogance that would act as censor for all Canadians.
The reality is that under the Harper Conservative`s uncritical pro-Israel campaign and desire to keep news of Afganistan sanitized for Canadian consumption, a new application from Al Jazeera would not stand a chance. The failure of the Al Jazeera application was simply the writing on the wall of what was to come. Today, Canada can no longer be an honest broker in the middle east thanks to the Harper conservative`s pro-Israel stance. Equally, our news of Afganistan will continue to be sanitized for Canadian viewers.
We need the Al Jazeera`s, Robert Fisks (former CBC reporter) and more to get a world view in Canada.

Aljazeera rocks .. i give it 9 out of 10
BBC comes second 8.9/10
CBC is alright, but not good enough for me 6.5/10
CNN 5.5/10

Fox 0/10 yeah zero
Sky news -1/10 yeah minus one, don't be surprised ;) they are the most racist news cast in the whole world. the even make less of people with different point of views before they introduce them. to brain wash the viewers how sad? i won't be on such a TV even if they pay me millions for an interview

CBC need to work harder to become something like BBC and Aljazeera
you gotta have both side of stories and not to be effected with one against the other, no matter what.
Your job is to broadcast the turth and nothing but the truth and the fully truth >> not to defend any one.