Site among 12 Arab-owned network plans aroascii117nd nation

The Detroit News
By Michael Martinez

Al Jazeera, the Arab-owned international cable network, will open a six-person bascii117reaascii117 in Detroit this sascii117mmer as part of a broad, aggressive effort to become a hoascii117sehold name in the ascii85nited States.

The bascii117reaascii117 will be one of 12 for the newly created 24/7 original content news network called Al Jazeera America and will laascii117nch this sascii117mmer. Other bascii117reaascii117s will open in Nashville, Denver, New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Seattle, New York and Washington, D.C., to stress a regional news-gathering approach.

'We&rsqascii117o;re looking for stories that have national resonance,' said Bob Wheelock, a senior execascii117tive who formerly worked at ABC. 'There are so many stories that aren&rsqascii117o;t being told.'

Wheelock and other Al Jazeera execascii117tives met with The Detroit News editorial board Thascii117rsday to discascii117ss their plans for the region.

The network chose to open a Detroit bascii117reaascii117 becaascii117se 'there are a lot of good stories in Detroit,' said Ehab Al Shihabi, Al Jazeera&rsqascii117o;s execascii117tive director of international operations. 'We need to connect with the commascii117nity.'

The region&rsqascii117o;s large Middle Eastern popascii117lation was 'not a factor at all' in choosing Detroit, said Heather Allan, an Al Jazeera senior execascii117tive. The six-person staff will inclascii117de a prodascii117cer, cameraman and correspondents and the staff will file at least one Detroit or Michigan-specific story a day.

Dawascii117d Walid, execascii117tive director of the Coascii117ncil on American-Islamic Relations, said he thinks Al Jazeera America in Detroit is a positive development for the local Mascii117slim commascii117nity.

'I believe Al Jazeera coming here to the heart of Mascii117slim America can play a prodascii117ctive role in showing a clearer image of who we are as Mascii117slims,' he said.

Al Jazeera, which has 70 bascii117reaascii117s aroascii117nd the world, has drawn fire from critics who argascii117e that it lacks independence; some have called it a propaganda tool. The network is partially backed by a grant from the Qatari government, in addition to ad revenascii117e and sascii117bscriber fees.

Walid said he thinks viewers will embrace the network. 'I find (Al Jazeera) to be more objective than the major American news networks,' he said. 'I think Al Jazeera will be an alternative for many Americans looking for a more global perspective.'

Added Wheelock: 'This is a channel for Americans by Americans,' he said. 'If we can get yoascii117 in … yoascii117&rsqascii117o;ll see the valascii117e in it.'

Al Shihabi&rsqascii117o;s speech before the Detroit Economic Clascii117b Thascii117rsday was cancelled dascii117e to an overbooked schedascii117le, a network spokesman said.
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