U.S. Planning Arab-Language TV Broadcasts to Europe

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration plans to begin Arab-language satellite-television broadcasts to Europe later this year in a new escalation of its information war against Islamic extremism, officials say.

Three-and-a-half years after Islamic militants based in Germany helped mount the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S.-backed TV channel Al-Hurra expects to transmit 24-hour programing to European Muslim communities seen as potential breeding grounds of extremism.

France and Germany, which have Western Europe's largest Muslim populations, would be a special focus for news and current affairs programs intended to promote an American ethic of free speech and open debate, officials say.

"The 9/11 hijackers came largely from Europe. It's a significant gap that we were not broadcasting in Arabic to Europe," said Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. agency in charge of U.S. civilian TV and radio broadcasts overseas.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/02/27/us_planning_arab_language_tv_broadcasts_to_europe/

[bemildred]

1. Again they notice that the spoon-fed slop we get fed domestically

does not do the job overseas, where the public is
generally better educated and informed than here
at home. But again, the assumption that the solution
is more and better bullshit tailored to the supposed
audience overseas.

[Rose Siding]

2. They use some new language here

-at least I don't think I've seen it before from anyone as connected to the admin "message" as Tomlinson.

"information war against Islamic extremism"? Also, noting that the "hijackers came largely from Europe" is new.

[bemildred]

3. I noticed that too.

I figure that the growing muslim population of Europe is
being seen here as a political stumbing-block to getting
our good friends on the continent to go along with the Shrubites
latest brainstorms; and I would not doubt that the European
leaders would use exactly that excuse with the US "diplomats".

What do you think?

[Rose Siding]

5. That could explain some of the US' motives

However, I don't see the govt being at all successful in such an overt attempt to propagandize. Bush lost all of our credibility already! Do they think they'll find some exclusively US, circa 1950 gullability in Europe, for goodness sake?

US attempts at TV messaging in Iraq haven't been very well received. This BBC article from a few days ago mentions the US stations being rejected. But more and more people are watching Iraqi stations, even though I notice they are running US-style shows themselves-

snip>
There are new lifestyle programmes like Labour and Materials, a format which has clearly been imported from the West and has a strong Iraqi flavour.

The channel interviews families who have suffered during the war and lost their houses. It chooses one case, pays for the rebuilding of the home and makes a series about it. In a country where there are so many dangers and difficulties there is an understandable appetite for any kind of escapism.
...
Another popular show is the Caricatura programme. Its satires about police trying to bribe drivers or of children kidnapping adults and demanding ransoms, are widely enjoyed.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4298455.stm

As an aside, I thought this comment in the article was...sad:

"I thought this country was hungry for food," one Iraqi sociologist told me, "but they were hungry for television."

[bemildred]

7. Yeah, not likely to work. I expect TV is better than drugs, but not much.

I can't say I blame them for a bit of escapism.

[Stop_the_War]

4. Their story keeps on changing...

In 2001 they said the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia
In 2003 they said the hijackers were from Iraq
In 2004 they said the hijackers went through Iran
In 2005 they're saying they came out of Europe

[reticulatus]

6. Correction

In 2001 they said the hijackers were from Afghanistan

(Even though the nationalities of the hijackers made it blindingly obvious that Saudi Arabia were involved in a big way, I cannot remember anyone in power actually mentioning the fact.)

[Moderator]

8. kick to combine threads

[NVMojo]

9. U.S. to beam Arabic-language channel to Europe

Why not? They manipulate the media in America! Where is my BS shovel?

Government-funded Alhurra is meant to compete with Al-Jazeera

CNN
Sunday, February 27, 2005 Posted: 6:44 PM EST (2344 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration is planning to expand the reach of its Arabic-language satellite channel, Alhurra, into Europe, an official overseeing the network said Sunday.

Alhurra, which means "the free one," began beaming programming to the Middle East about a year ago.

Home to an estimated 15 million-20 million Muslims, many of Arab descent, Europe is a "significant location for Arabic-speaking people," a U.S. official said.

Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. agency in charge of Alhurra, said Sunday that the channel's goal is to "foster and support debate" and to give Arabic speakers the chance to hear the "Western side of arguments on women's rights, economic opportunity and freedom and democracy."

more...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/27/alhurra.expansion/

[neweurope]

10. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3190850

Freedom and democracy my butt - what they're doing is making the first step of taking power over the European media! Germany IS a western state and very well able to show our muslims the European way to do things...

--------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!