Al-Jazeera’s Challenge: Do We Really Want Serious Cable News?
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Critics often complain that cable-news networks in the U.S. lack enough “real news” and carry a surplus of opinion and fluff. Now enters Al-Jazeera and its tendency toward serious reporting. But will viewers prove the critics right? And what about advertisers?
Al-Jazeera’s new presence in the U.S., enabled by its pact to take over Current TV and most of its distribution deals with cable and satellite companies, could finally prove the notion that U.S. audiences want meatier cable news. “This is the single most important game-changer in the news industry,” said Cathy Rasenberger, who helped introduce Al-Jazeera English in 2006 and has worked with the network on and off for the past three years.
The events of the Arab Spring already engendered a huge rise in interest for Al-Jazeera English, Ms. Rasenberger said. “Other news organizations didn’t have feet on the ground,” she said. “Al-Jazeera has deep resources to cover international news that domestic news organizations don’t have.”
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