The Media and Democracy in the Arab World

This program goes behind the scenes at Al Jazeera, "the CNN of Arabia." Dedicated to freedom of speech, Al Jazeera has earned the admiration of the West and the ire of the Arab nations—with the exception of Qatar, where the independent news agency is based. Interviews, clips of the highly controversial and extremely popular debate showThe Opposite Direction, and reportage covering the first democratic election in Qatar, the role of women in Iranian politics, jihad in Afghanistan, U.S./British air strikes on Iraq, and the war in Kosovo demonstrate Al Jazeera’s commitment to boldly present "the other opinion."