Hacker Cinema
Control Room
2004 · Film · documentary · 84 min
Directed by Jehane Noujaim
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.
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The documentary "Control Room" is a good one about Al Jazeera: http://tinyurl.com/4hz5zzw
That's a guilt-by-association argument that doesn't really hold water.
In its early days Aljazeera was known for broadcasting dissenting views and was perceived as more objective than state run Middle Eastern media entities. Many of its staff were former BBC. Aljazeer was shut down by the Saudi government because it failed to stick with the party line. It had to relocate to Qatar as a result, where it seems to enjoy more independence.
Sources: Control Room (documentary about Aljazeera); Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aljazeera]