At Al Jazeera: ‘Agreeing to Differ’ in A Family-Like Environment
At Al Jazeera: ‘Agreeing to Differ’ in A Family-Like Environment Jack Kingston | Former US House of Representatives Member
I have been honoured to participate in a number of Al Jazeera programmes over the years. The topics range broadly, as do the opinions of the guests. As someone who has done a wide variety of network and cable shows, I have found that Al Jazeera gets into discussions and details much deeper than most other networks. More importantly, the Al Jazeera hosts give guests plenty of time to present their position and outline their differences. They are courteous whether they agree with you or not. Topics are rarely framed as a binary choice. That is to say on other networks you have one position or the other. In contrast, Al Jazeera’s formats allow for several opposing opinions. When we are discussing the difficult topics of today, whether they are American-based or those in the Middle East, China, or elsewhere around the world, there needs to be room for multiple opinions and multiple viewpoints. This is especially true when discussing Iraq, Syria, or Iran. Al Jazeera recognises this and fosters an atmosphere of discussion rather than debate and disagreement.
As a result, the topics are discussed in a thoughtful, unhurried manner. There is a true exchange of ideas rather than just loud pronouncements back and forth. In fact, quite often after being on Inside Story, I have shared a car with the person whom I debated. We continue to discuss the topics off- camera in good fellowship because the format has not been antagonistic.
Off-camera in the Washington studio there is a strong sense of professionalism and even a family- like environment. Those who work the microphones, lighting, and cameras are all focused on producing a wonderful show, and in the spirit of teamwork, they include the guests in the decision-making. Al Jazeera is growing in popularity because the more people watch it the more they appreciate the format.
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