The Washington Post's “Washington Sketch” program recently featured an interesting piece covering Al Jazeera English's attempt to cover the Democratic National Convention in nearby Golden, Colorado (video available here). This move to feature 'small-town’ America's views on the convention was met with much resistance by some if its townspeople who view Al Jazeera as Anti-American, and even “enablers of terrorists”. One woman, demonstrating outside the bar from which Al-Jazeera filmed, described the station as being a “terrorist-sponsored broadcast…place…people”.
Her response leads one to ask if the many Americans really understand what Al Jazeera is, and what Terrorism is for that matter? Why has Al Jazeera come to be seen as a threat in the minds of small-town Americans? It's worth noting that the station has large audiences in both the UK and Israel.
Golden, Colorado has not been the only flash-point for America's confrontation with Al Jazeera English. The network's own “Listening Post” program covered a heated debate in Burlington, Vermont that was sparked by a local cable company's attempt to feature Al Jazeera English in its repertoire.
Is America ready for Al Jazeera? Maybe not just yet, but perhaps an objective examination of the network is in order.
