A group of Arab activists has called on the Doha-based Al Jazeera satellite channel to provide more extensive coverage of the pro-democracy protests in countries that enjoy deep political ties with the Qatari government. “We call on Al Jazeera Board of Directors to issue an urgent and decisive decision to have better coverage for the protests that are taking place in countries that have interests with the Qatari regime such as Syria, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain,” said a statement distributed via Facebook and Twitter. Recently, a wave of Arab protests has engulfed the Arab World. Saudi police opened fire on civilians on Friday, violently quelling protests in at least four locations in the Shia-dominated eastern part of the country. Al Jazeera recently gained in popularity following its sympathetic coverage of pro-democracy protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. However, media experts said that the influential TV station failed to focus in any of its news programs on the Saudi protests. Moreover, its website aljazeera.net had only touched upon the protests by publishing stories from other news agencies. Moreover, in Bahrain, Al Jazeera seemed to be reluctant to cover the protests, especially with the unprecedented move by Saudi Arabia in sending troops to quell them. However, in recent days, the Al Jazeera network, especially Al Jazeera English, has paid more attention to the Bahraini protests. “What I've seen so far is that Al Jazeera coverage for the protests in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Syria is weak in comparison with Al Jazeera's extensive coverage of the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia,” Amr Magdi, an Egyptian activist who wrote the statement, told Al-Masry Al-Youm. “It's an absolute right for any country to take the interests of other countries in account. But Al Jazeera, as we know it, doesn't limit itself to the interests of the country (Qatar) that established the channel,” read the statement. Egyptian human rights activists and journalists have signed the petition along with activists from various Arab countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain and Jordan. Al Jazeera was launched in 1996 and since then has gained worldwide attention following the 11 September, 2001 attacks and the 2003 American invasion on Iraq. Furthermore, its impact on Arab audiences remains unequaled by any other channel. Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi sent an envoy to Qatari Prince Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to ask him to tone down Al Jazaeera's coverage of the turmoil in Libya, according to sources from the Libyan opposition in Cairo today. The same source added that the Libyan envoy provided explanations for the alleged involvement of Qadhafi's forces in the killing of Al Jazeera cameraman Ali Hassan al-Gaber.
