Just the fact that Al-Jazeera angers westerners as well as Arabs is one indication it’s on the right track.
“Control Room” follows the Arab news organization during the second Iraq war with the United States.
It has been called Osama bin Laden’s mouthpiece by some in the United States but has also been banned by some Arab governments.
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One of the things that makes this such a powerful documentary is that it is truly fair and balanced. There are interviews with a range of Arabs and westerners that show the many views about the war.
Perhaps the most intriguing interviews are with an Al-Jazeera correspondent and an American military spokesman.
The reporter makes no bones about the fact that he is trying to convey the human cost of war to his viewers. The military spokesman believes Al-Jazeera plays to its Arab audience in the same way Fox News panders to American patriotism.
Another powerful segment deals with the death of an Al-Jazeera reporter who was killed by a bomb dropped on the building where he was staying. Other buildings housing journalists were also hit.
It is interesting how the United States touts the precision of it munitions and its ability to keep collateral damage to a minimum but how it claims the bombing of key buildings is a mistake.
In a world where it is easy to take sides in the war, “Control Room” is a refreshing and objective assessment of the war and how it is covered.
“Control Room” is available on DVD.
Murphy can be reached at [email protected]
