Comparison and Contrast between CNN and Al Jazeera

News reporting stations have different techniques relaying their news to the public. This is determined by the different factors that may include the station’s view on the subject being reported, the location of the station, the audience tastes and preferences, the equipment being used in the station and finally the station’s creativity among other factors. This research paper compares and contrasts the different broadcasting techniques that have been used by the America’s Cables News Network (CNN) and Qatar‘s Al Jazeera to report on the journalist who threw shoes at President George Bush.The term “broadcasting” generally refers to the transmission of electromagnetic audiovisual signals in the television and electromagnetic audio signals in the radio which can be accessed by a large population through standard and available receivers. The origin of the term dates back to medieval times when it was used to describe the process of planting seeds by scattering them over the farm (Marc, 1). It can also be defined as an open system because the end receiver is not known, as the audience is only defined by the virtue of him or her having the needed receiver equipment (JISC, par.

1).Broadcasting is an important instrument for the contemporary political and social organization. Televisions and radios are in the capacity to reach very many people but the spectrum of frequencies is limited; thus the governments are forced to regulate broadcasting in the localities that it is practiced (Marc, 1). Brief Description of CNN and Al Jazeera Cables News Network (CNN) was founded in 1980 by Ted Tuner, being the first station at that time to provide television news coverage for twenty four hours and in addition, the first television station in the United States to relay all kinds of news.CNN is an owned by Time Warner company which is its parent company.

The company’s headquarters are located in Atlanta’s CNN Center but has studios are in Washington, D. C. and also in Los Angeles. Apart from the British Broadcasting Corporation, CNN has the largest resources to gather news. The company has a website CNN.

com which is one of the most visited news websites in the entire globe. The Website contains social media, blogs and also content that is generated by the audience (Cable News Network, 1).Despite its popularity at home, CNN has been critiqued that it is biased in its reporting by writing negative about the Arabs, the Chinese and the conservatives. Despite Al Jazeera being the largest news channel in the Middle East, it is also known to be very controversial. It offers news coverage for twenty four hours a day from every corner of the globe and especially the “hottest’ parts. The news channel is based in Qatar and it is one of the fastest news networks especially among the Arabic audiences (Allied Media Corp.

, Par 1). Presently, the network has over thirty bureaus and other correspondents worldwide.It is known to be the first Arab TV station that broke the rule (non written) of not criticizing another Arab regime . There are many that have criticized Al Jazeera as being sensational for showing bloody footages in the places of war. It has also been dismissed as showing the footages of militant and violent groups with some newspapers from the United Kingdom labeling it as the “mouthpiece of Osama Bin Laden with anti Western tone of reporting” (Allied Media par 2). This has however helped the network get more popular as people are use to getting censorship and coverage that is biased.

Case Study Former United States President, George Walker Bush had made a surprise visit to volatile Iraq in December 2008 the last such a visit before leaving office in January. At the news conference together with the Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nuri Al- Malik, a journalist threw shoes at him, an action which in Iraq is regarded as showing contempt at a person. It was lucky that the shoes never hurt him but it probably represented a larger picture of how the citizens of Iraq view the presence of the Americans in their land. It is interesting to realize that the journalist threw the shoes at Mr.

 Bush when he stated that the level of violence in Iraq had gone down (Agencies, par 1-3) Al Jazeera’s reportage on the Case Summary of the articles As stated earlier, different news networks are influenced by different factors in their reporting and it is therefore important to analyze how Al Jazeera reported the incident.The title that is given in the first article is “Shoe attack mars Bush’s Iraq visit. ” The story starts with the information that shoes had been thrown at the President during a news conference when he made a surprise visit to Iraq which was his last before he left office in January.In the second paragraph it is reported and quoted the words that the journalist used against the president before he threw the shoes (the words “a dog” and “this is the end). ” In the third paragraph, the article informs the audience on the presence of the Iraq Prime Minister during the incident and on the reaction of Mr.

Bush when the shoe was thrown at him. The next paragraph clarifies that the president went unhurt and also indicates the name of the journalist and the media network that he works for. The fifth paragraph shows the statement that Mr. George Bush had made before the shoe was thrown at him.The significance of throwing shoes at someone in Iraq is also given in the paragraph that follows.

In the next paragraph the article states that the incident serves as larger representation of the opposition against the war in Iraq. The next paragraph has claims that Bush shrugged off the occurrence by joking that he just remembered that it was size ten (Agencies par 5-7). The two following paragraphs quotes what an Iraq analyst who is based in washington comments regarding the incident saying that the sovereignty of Iraq should be respected by US so that the latter can be respected.He added that terrorism has been increased by the Bush policies. The article is concluded with the statement that the incident took place thirty seven days before Bush handed over to Obama who it quotes as having pledged to withdraw troops from Iraq (Agencies par 6-8). On the other online article posted by Al Jazeera about the shoe thrower and entitled “ Bush shoe-thrower ‘tortured’” the journalist’s brother makes claims that the journalist had been tortured by the security guards and even his hand broken ; the sentiments were echoed by Al-Baghdadia television.

The network repeats the statement that the journalist had referred to the president as a “dog. ” The article reports that Television had urged the Iraq government to allow his lawyers to visit the journalist and also that the military had denied the mistreatment of the journalist while in custody. The report also indicates that the journalist had appeared before the judge and that he was to be judged using the Iraq penal code that could give the culprit up to fifteen years for trying to murder a head of State.In the article it is indicated that many people from the Arab world had support the incident with Iraqis demonstrating to support the journalist.

The Iraq government is quoted terming the action as barbaric. The article has also repeated the reason that prompted the journalist to throw the school and its significance (Al Jazeera par 1-15). CNN’s Reportage on the Case The Cable’s News network reports the incident by entitling the article as “Iraq journalist throws shoes at Bush in Baghdad. ” The article starts by stating that a shoe had been thrown at the President Bush by an identified journalist though it missed him.The second paragraph informs that the president ducked and the venue of the incident is also mentioned as being the Prime Minister’s palace which is described as heavily fortified (Karadshe and Nasr, par 1-3).

The shoe thrower’s name is given in the third paragraph plus the media house that he works for. The abuses that he spoke are also recorded and also the way he was dragged out of the room as he continued shouting at the president. Bush’s comment on the shoe that was thrown is also recorded. In the paragraph that follows it is recorded that throwing a shoe at any person is an abuse in the Muslim world.It is also indicated that his employer demanded for his release but the judiciary stated that the journalist would face the changes of assaulting a head of State.

He was also tested for drug and alcohol influence (CNN par 4-7). Cable News network also reported that the journalist had gotten international attention a month before when he was kidnapped but released later. Bush remarks regarding the incident are also recorded in details. Bush then continues discussing the security pact that both he and the Iraq’s Prime Minister had signed.The importance of the pact that both signed is described in the paragraphs that follow that would see all the US troops leave Iraq by 2009. (CNN par 8-11).

The article ends with the description of how Bush had jetted in the country and his departure. Similarities of Al Jazeera and CNN reporting techniques Using the analysis of the above two articles, it is clear that both stations are committed to give information to its audience. The two articles differ less on the content matter because anyone is in a position to get the story’s flow - a journalist throwing shoes at President Bush.The first notable similarity between the two news stations is that they operate for twenty four hours per day, seven days a week. Al Jazeera that was started in 1995 is the largest news channel in the Arab world which generally airs news of the conflict nature ((Allied Media par 2). Cable News network which was started in 1980 is credited as the first station to operate for twenty four hours a day (CNN par 1).

This is very important as operating for twenty four hours gives the audience more time to watch the news.The other notable similarity on the broadcasting techniques that are used by the two networks is that they reach different regions of the globe. Though Al Jazeera started as an Arabic channel, it has now come up with Al Jazeera English that broadcasts using the English language. This has been made possible by its assembling of professionals from networks such as CNN, CNBC, ITV, APTN, and BBC among others. According to the report on the research conducted, over forty million people view Al Jazeera in the Arab world with many watching through the satellite system.

The station is still working to win the western and Asian audiences (Allied Media Corp. 1). Though CNN has its headquarters in Atlanta, it also reaches over ninety three million households in the United States and other parts of the world such as India, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, Jerusalem, Madrid, Moscow, Dubai among other major cities of the world (CNN 1). CNN has thirty six bureaus and more than nine hundred affiliated local stations and even use foreign networks globally. Both news networks also offer both live and recorded programs to their viewers.

Al Jazeera air programs such as News Bulletin, Today’s interview, Cultural Forums, For Women only, Religion and Life, Cinema in a week and Pictures talk among others (Allied Media 1). CNN has programs such as American morning, CNN Newsroom, The Situation Room, Larry King Live, and House Call among others (CNN 1). In addition to them having Television networks, both stations give news by the use of U tube system as well as internet blogs and pictures that are in most cases duplicates of the broadcast news items. This makes it easy for those who were not in a position to watch certain programs to do so later.

Differences between Al Jazeera and CNN reporting techniques Just at the keen study of the articles as presented by the two news networks, it is clear that each station has its own views on different issues. Though the information given is similar, it is vivid that Al Jazeera concentrates more on the action of the journalist in a way to justify it. It records the views of those who think that the action was a representation of the anger that the Iraqis have regarding the presence of the Americans in their nation.On the other hand, in the report that CNN has written, it is evident that it gives more weight to the presence of Bush in Iraq and the security deal that he signed with the host. The photos that have been chosen by both stations are different.

While Al Jazeera uses the photo of Bush ducking the shoe, CNN uses the photo of Iraq Prime Minister trying to block the shoe- a sign of protection There is always a conflict between Al Jazeera and Western media, CNN included with the accusations that the former air news that support the Arabs, militant groups and interested is mostly in the conflicts.Salamon (1) supporting the argument, states that Al Jazeera refers to suicide bombers as “martyrs,” with suicide operations being referred to as “commando” operations. He adds that though “Al Jazeera may look and sound like CNN, with flashy graphics and confrontational talk shows. But the constituencies and viewpoints of the two channels have always been night and day, or East and West.

We just weren't paying attention then” (Salamon 1). On the side, CNN has been accused on being America’s and Israel’s sympathizer thus writing news that favor the two nations.Conclusion From the essay, it is clear that Al Jazeera and CNN have reported the news according to their own cultural styles. According to the east, throwing a show at someone is considered a grave insult, and in the west, it is considered embarrassing but may have been watered down for the sake of protecting the presidency of the “highest” office. All in all, the incident, though reported in different manners in terms of which photos or statements were profiled, it still solicited enough attention regardless of the political divide.