Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network That Is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism

Rating:
Summary: Finally!!
Review: I was very impressed at the amount of research the authors did to produce this book. It is a holistic, fair, and incredibly valuable resource about the most vital newsmaker in the world today. This provides such vivid context and nuance to the Arab world and its pursuit of a free press. Also, one of the authors is a Canadian whom I have heard frequently on NPR. I am surprised he has not been invited on the Canadian media to articulate the situation in the Middle East. Once again, we're one step behind.

Rating:
Summary: Concise and Hardhitting!
Review: While there is much literature about Al-Jazeera available online, this book provided the most concise, elaborate, hardhitting, and balanced view of the network. The authors' position as media experts and scholars with no personal relation or investment in the network ensures a clearheaded view of the station's successes and failures. While they are generally complimentary, they are not shy from recognizing both shortcoming and weaknesses, offering remedial ideas which the station has infact started to incorporate: from discussing Qatari domestic issues to presenting moderate views. I read Al-Jazeera for a journalism class in college where we discussed the authors' concept of "contextual objectivity" at great lengths where we found it surprisingly applicable to the US media. As we appeal for professionalism in the Arab media, we should probably learn a few things ourselves from Al-Jazeera. The station is a true revolution in the Arab world and global media, and this book is the first chronicle of this revolution.