The Expansionist

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Frost in Qatar. The BBC announced Friday that "Sir" David Frost, distinguished British journalist who achieved great fame in the U.S. too, has joined the on-air talent behind "al-Jazeera International, the pan-Arab news network's new English-language channel, due to be launched next spring."

"Most of the television I have done over the years has been aimed at British and American audiences," he said.

"This time, while our target is still Britain and America, the excitement is that it is also the six billion other inhabitants of the globe." * * *

An al-Jazeera statement called Sir David "the only person to have interviewed the last seven presidents of the United States and the last six prime ministers of the United Kingdom".

It said: "(He) has joined the line-up of key on-air talent at the new 24-hour English language news and current affairs channel."

Aljazeera (the broadcaster's own spelling of its name) has gained notoriety for broadcasting videos produced by al-Qaeda and other Arab terrorist and guerrilla organizations, so jingoists here will probably make some comparisons to "Tokyo Rose", an American who broadcast Japanese propaganda during World War II. That prospect has not deterred Frost from lending his voice to a dialog between the Arab world and the West. Good for him. And maybe good for us.
+
(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 1,954.)

- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 11:33 PM

<< Home

About Me