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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/07/AR2005050701031.html
Al-Jazeera Puts Focus on Reform
(Washington Post) Robin Wright - An unlikely ally has emerged for the Bush administration's new Middle East democracy campaign - al-Jazeera, the Arab world's most-watched satellite channel. Arab and U.S. analysts say the network helps give voice to the reformers. After the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in February, it aired 10 straight hours of footage from Lebanon as street protesters demanded the ouster of the country's government and Syria's troops. Al-Jazeera last month launched a 24-hour Arab equivalent of C-SPAN, and a 24-hour English-language channel is due to be launched later this year. Since it was launched in 1996, al-Jazeera's popularity has given rise to more than 100 satellite channels in the region. Al-Jazeera still runs graphic pictures of Palestinians killed in confrontations with Israeli troops, but it also interviews senior Israeli officials.