U.S.-Funded Arab TV's Credibility Crisis, 60 Minutes/ProPublica Joint Investigation Finds Anti-Israel Rhetoric On U.S.-Funded Al Hurra TV - CBS News

U.S. Funds News In The Mideast
60 Minutes and ProPublica investigate Al Hurra, a television channel in the Middle East that is funded by U.S. taxpayers, which has come under scrutiny for a raft of problems. Scott Pelley reports.

U.S.-Funded Arab TV's Credibility Crisis
Al Hurra, headquartered in Springfield, Va., is funded by U.S. taxpayers. (CBS)

America has been struggling with its image in the Middle East for decades but, after Iraq, Arab opinion plummeted. The Bush administration felt it had to act fast to explain America to the Arab world. So it began spending about $100 million a year on a U.S. government news channel in Arabic. It's called "Al Hurra," meaning "The Free One."

As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, Al Hurra's symbol is a herd of unbridled horses, and for American taxpayers it's been a wild ride.

60 Minutes has been looking into Al Hurra in a project with ProPublica, a new, non-profit news organization dedicated to investigative journalism. With so much at stake at Al Hurra, we were surprised to find what it's putting on the air. Some of it has supported terrorism and denied the Holocaust; insiders say Al Hurra has been undermined by loose financial and editorial controls, while its executives try to manage 24-hour news in a language most of them don't understand. --Continued on link--

Click on link above for the full video segment and text, which goes on too long to post here.
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I thought this was a piece worth watching and talking about. I'd really only heard the name "Al Hurra" a few times and didn't know any details about its history or background. Takes a few to watch it or read the story, but it's quite thorough, and it'll be interesting to see what the rest of you all think.
birdgirl73 Reviewed by birdgirl73 on . Did anyone else see this piece on Al Hurra? U.S.-Funded Arab TV's Credibility Crisis, 60 Minutes/ProPublica Joint Investigation Finds Anti-Israel Rhetoric On U.S.-Funded Al Hurra TV - CBS News U.S. Funds News In The Mideast 60 Minutes and ProPublica investigate Al Hurra, a television channel in the Middle East that is funded by U.S. taxpayers, which has come under scrutiny for a raft of problems. Scott Pelley reports. U.S.-Funded Arab TV's Credibility Crisis Al Hurra, headquartered in Springfield, Va., is funded by U.S. Rating: 5