London-based Iranian journalist Amir Taheri, writing in the WSJ Opinion Journal assesses al Jazeerah TV:

The secret of al Jazeera’s undoubted success […] lies not in its craven approach to Arab leaders, but elsewhere. It tells Arabs what they already think the mythical “Arab street” feels. It assumes that radical Islamism is on the rise in all Arab countries and that it’s secretly supported by the majority. This is why al Jazeera talk shows, the backbone of its programming, favor radical Islamists. The situation also takes for granted that the average Arab is deeply anti-West and especially anti-American. The channel creates the impression that the West, and the U.S. in particular, are behind all of the Arabs’ woes, including the presence of incompetent and corrupt regimes.

Hmm. Sounds a bit like NPR to me…

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