91热爆 Arabic and the complexities of the Arab world
It is no secret that recent Arab uprisings have placed enormous burdens on the shoulders of 91热爆 Arabic journalists responsible for reporting news from the region.
Covering the Arab world is not always an easy task - we need to mix sensible caution with a dose of courage in covering political issues that attract so many disputed views among Arabic-speaking audiences.
Our guiding principles are the 91热爆's values, its editorial guidelines, its ethical code, which are our reference points to maintain impartial, balanced and accurate reporting.
Across the Arab world - whether it's Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt or Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq or the many other countries in the region - we know that audiences want access to objective and independent news, far removed from an agenda that favours one party, religion or sect against another. That is why audiences are turning to 91热爆 Arabic.
Last year, our latest figures show that overall audiences to 91热爆 Arabic have risen by more than 17% to a record high of 25.3 million adults weekly. That includes a big surge of 2.9 million in Saudi Arabia and 2.7 million in Egypt, where TV viewers in particular turned to the 91热爆 to better understand the events happening in their own country. Our radio audiences are also holding up despite the reductions in transmission. Online is proving to be more of a challenge, but we are working hard to understand the needs of digital audiences and those for whom social media plays an increasingly important part in their lives.
In 2011, following the fall of the Mubarak leadership, we watched as ordinary Egyptians carried banners saying "Thank you, 91热爆!" But meeting the high expectation of audiences has a price and sometimes it's been a heavy one.
March 2011 brought a strong reminder of the risks that our staff face in covering the news - one of our reporters was arrested and tortured by Muammar Gaddafi's forces during the Libya uprising. In early 2012, our reporter in Yemen was beaten and received death threats from supporters of the outgoing president.
We are also challenged by those who disagree with our coverage. In countries such as Syria and Bahrain, 91热爆 Arabic has been accused of bias.
The criticism comes from opposition and government alike. It may be a valid argument to say that getting criticism from both sides, in the case of Arab world certainly, is an indication of balanced coverage.
On Syria, for example, we had a series of documentaries looking at the civil war from a number of perspectives.
The first one, exploring what it's like to work for a Syrian television channel that's the mouthpiece of the government, was the butt of criticism and threats from Syrian opposition quarters. We followed it up with a programme charting a day in the lives of six Syrian women, five of whom were anti-government activists.
In our day-to-day news coverage, presenting a variety of voices from Syria is essential to us. And that is what distinguishes 91热爆 Arabic from many media outlets in the Arab world which promote political views and agendas, and that is what we are determined to keep.
91热爆 Arabic marked its 75th anniversary in January. Arab politicians and ordinary people have expressed their appreciation of our track record of impartiality and trusted news. I am confident that the coming years will see further achievement on all our platforms - TV, radio and online.
Comment number 1.
At 1st Feb 2013, Scotch Get wrote:听
MAZELTOV!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 2nd Feb 2013, Miche Norman wrote:Arab politicians and ordinary people have expressed their appreciation of our track record of impartiality and trusted news- Which basically proves exactly how unimpartial the 91热爆 is
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 2nd Feb 2013, BluesBerry wrote:Last Dec, 91热爆 hailed Tunisia鈥檚 assembly & their election of a new president in their article, 鈥淭unisian activist, Moncef Marzouki, named president.鈥 What the 91热爆 did not report was Marzouki鈥檚 Organization, the Tunisian League for Human Rights, was a US National Endowment for Democracy and George Soros Open Society-funded International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) member org.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 2nd Feb 2013, BluesBerry wrote:Clearly orchestrated reordering of the Arab World was done in a specially-conceived order, so that easier nations to topple would be able to eventually contribute to fueling the downfall of more difficult targets as US proxy regimes were installed. Tunisia鈥檚 diplomatic attack against Syria is just one example. Complexity? Just flow the dominoes!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
At 2nd Feb 2013, BluesBerry wrote:The despoiling/destruction of Libya by NATO-backed LIFG terrorists has provided a base of operation for the international mercenaries who are now sending fighters into Syria, led by notorious LIFG commander Abdul Belhaj.
Enormous pressure has been caused by "spin". media silence, or a huge boisterous slant on the truth.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 5)
Comment number 6.
At 2nd Feb 2013, BluesBerry wrote:It's not that I (always) disagree with 91热爆 coverage. Yes, on occasion I have accused 91热爆 of Bias, but what troubles me most is the "feeling" that I am never getting the full picture, that 91热爆 seems (in fact) to be justifying western actions.
The one thing that will not get 91热爆 criticism from both sides is the unvarnished truth. Truth can be defended. Falsehood can only be spun.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 6)
Comment number 7.
At 3rd Feb 2013, All for All wrote:BluesBerry @3-6
Not wrong to see or suspect, report or warn, of funding & relations of other 'pipers', but 'serial differentiation' of the "clearly orchestrated" may deprive of global understanding. Until every individual is equally secured, by the agreement of all others, the rule of corruption will make suspects of all, even those who protest most loudly, sadly even those striving for balance
Complain about this comment (Comment number 7)
Comment number 8.
At 3rd Feb 2013, This is a colleague announcement wrote:BluesBerry wrote:
"...what troubles me most is the "feeling" that I am never getting the full picture..."
===
Yes. The 91热爆, when establishment needs must, will slide seamlessly into another mode. You and I probably won't know when that happens. I seem to remember it did during the Miners' Strike, though, for instance.
The story then is, as you suggest, what we're not told on the 91热爆.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 8)
Comment number 9.
At 3rd Feb 2013, Forty Two wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 9)
Comment number 10.
At 3rd Feb 2013, Justin Staples wrote:I have no doubt that reporting in the Middle East is challenging at the moment given the sensitive political situations there. The 91热爆 will never be perceived as unbiased by everybody - the best that journalists can do is to give as many different perspectives on the same event as possible so that viewers/ readers feel like they're getting the 'full picture'.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 10)
Comment number 11.
At 3rd Feb 2013, Meryl Coach wrote:I believe the 91热爆 Arabic growth figures are proof of the pudding: biased or not, clearly 91热爆 is providing something that is of value! Given the phenomenal , I think 91热爆 would do well to try out some of the new Connected Studio products in the region to test for any perceived bias.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 11)
Comment number 12.
At 3rd Feb 2013, MikeStep wrote:@Meryl Coach - I think the growth figures are probably more a function of available content rather than indicative of the quality of that content. If there's not much alternative, people will still watch it even if it may be biased!
Good idea about using the 91热爆 digital platform and social media to test out the bias though... the results would be telling!
Complain about this comment (Comment number 12)
Comment number 13.
At 4th Feb 2013, Sizwe M wrote:@BluesBerry (6) - easy to say but I think the 'unvarnished truth' implies that all possible perspectives of an event would have to be covered by the journalists (unless they're just broadcasting without capturing any opinion at all which would be quite worthless for viewers!) The challenge for 91热爆 is to provide as many perspectives as possible to give, as you say, the 'full picture'.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 13)
Comment number 14.
At 4th Feb 2013, Neelam wrote:It's impossible to please everyone when it comes to reporting, and practically impossible to capture all possible perspectives for that matter. I hope that 91热爆 Arabic capitalizes on the social media trends in Middle East as Meryl above suggests - capturing and grouping massive numbers of viewer perspectives will definitely give a better view of the 'unvarnished truth' as BluesBerry puts it.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 14)
Comment number 15.
At 4th Feb 2013, kam wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 15)
Comment number 16.
At 4th Feb 2013, et69 wrote:To BluesBerry: Someone said , "There are conspiracies in life but life is not a conspiracy". I suggest you reflect on that. The "Arab Spring" in and of itself is not a grand conspiracy although no doubt there are conspirators trying to achieve their own ends..
Complain about this comment (Comment number 16)
Comment number 17.
At 4th Feb 2013, JunkkMale wrote:As with professional carers whose failings on patient sanitation or hydration trying to point at work pressures for ignoring basic decency, some reasons still make poor excuses. 91热爆 Watch daily shows how responsible reporting from the region can be.
And cut & pasting Trust mantras as gospel won't change that.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 17)
Comment number 18.
At 4th Feb 2013, Wyrdtimes wrote:Never mind 91热爆 Arabic where is 91热爆 England?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 18)