Households across the Middle East are being bombarded with live feeds from the revolt in Cairo. Yet some Arab stations are not interested–perhaps for political reasons. The vast disparities in today’s coverage may have long term consequences on public confidence in local media and the governments that rule it.
Here’s a quick round up. The following channels are widely available in homes throughout the Middle East, free of charge over satellite. These pictures were taken at roughly the same time (within a minute or two), this afternoon during the peak of protests:
Al Jazeera:
Al Arabiya:
BBC Arabic:
Al Quds (Palestine):
Al Aqsa (Palestine):
Nile TV (Egypt):
NBN (Lebanon):
MTV (Lebanon):
Future News (Lebanon):
Al Manar (Lebanon):
OTV (Lebanon) which carried Al Jazeera:
Al Jadeed (Lebanon):
Al Alam (Iran):
Press TV (Iran):
And Alhurra (USA):
But other Arab channels occupied a far different reality, choosing to downplay or outright ignore a story that has captivated the region like no other. Here’s a rundown:
Syria TV (Syria) ran a live feed of a soccer game:
Ajman TV (UAE) ran a live feed of a horse show:
Oman TV (Oman) aired live children’s programing:
Yemen TV (Yemen) aired a recorded celebrity talk show:
RAK (UAE) aired a Syrian soap opera:
Al Magrabia TV (Morroco) aired live prayers in Morocco:
And Noormina (Jordan) aired a recorded talk show:
It’s no coincidence that channels based in tightly controlled monarchies and dictatorships have either limited or steered completely clear of Egypt coverage. But now that Arab viewers have access to a vast array of satellite channels, they may find their local coverage rather patronizing, and perhaps extend those feelings to the systems of power that maintain such media.
Whether or not Cairo’s revolt leads to Mubarak’s immediate departure, today’s events have proven once again that access to information can no longer be restricted in the Arab world, and that the once-common approach to preserving power by silencing dissent is increasingly impossible in the age of satellite television and the internet. Viewers are likely to demand more from their local TV stations and more from the governments that produce them.
