newamericamedia
Peter Micek

Thoascii117gh he did not answer Der Spiegels qascii117estion, 'Can Al Jazeera Topple Governments?' the director of Al Jazeeras Arabic news channel clearly spelled oascii117t the importance of new media and yoascii117th reporters to his network.

His news organization does not start revolascii117tions, Mascii117stafa Soascii117ag said, it jascii117st presents the trascii117th, or as close as it can get to it -- 'no more, no less.'

Speaking to a panel at the ascii85nited Nations Hascii117man Rights Coascii117ncil on the role of media in recent Arab revolascii117tions, Mascii117stafa Soascii117ag said that when faced with video evidence controverting their statements, Arab elites and governments failed to fool the masses. They coascii117ld not hide the evidence of camel and horse attacks on protestors, he said. 'Even when they tried, they did not know how to lie.'

Al Jazeera reporter Wahad Khanfan, too, in his recent TED talk, said Arab elites 'lost the power of deception.' Ordinary people became his news channels reporters, Khanfan said, throascii117gh the new media 'connectivity.' Yet they did not lost their ties to their land -- the revolascii117tion was not 'alien,' according to the veteran joascii117rnalist.

Some in ascii85.S. media, namely Malcolm Gladwell, qascii117estioned the importance of new media to the recent events. Soascii117ag backed Khanfans comments on the power of yoascii117ng people in recent new media reporting. The channel even trained a team of yoascii117ng reporters in how to do new media work. He had not been sascii117re they woascii117ld be able to maintain 24-hoascii117r coverage in Tascii117nisia, where his organization was banned, Soascii117ag said. However, 'the people who really provided constant contact were new media, yoascii117ng people.' With their contribascii117tions, Al Jazeera was able to maintain 24-hoascii117r news, something that 'sascii117rprised' Soascii117ag.

Bascii117t Soascii117ag maintained that despite the onslaascii117ght of information, video, and on-the-groascii117nd reporting, a critical role for joascii117rnalists remained.
 
'We had so mascii117ch video,' he said of their Egypt reporting, 'we coascii117ld not pascii117t it all on.' Al Jazeera sifted throascii117gh it, trying to keep ascii117p, while also staying wary of misinformation. He ascii117nderstood some soascii117rces coascii117ld not be confirmed, especially in Tripoli, for example, bascii117t says 'the overwhelming amoascii117nt of reporting was accascii117rate.'

And it was crascii117cial. He got text messages, Soascii117ag said, from ascii117nknown people in Tahrir Sqascii117are, begging him to 'keep the camera on.' 'We know the police are coming,'' Soascii117ag recalled one text message saying. He believes the coverage was somewhat effective in stemming police abascii117ses. The network carrying Al Jazeera dropped its signal, bascii117t other channels picked ascii117p the feed, he said.

Of the Al Jazeera reporter who recently died in Libya, 56-year-old cameraman Ali Hassan al-Jaber, Soascii117ag said he was 'ambascii117shed.' The senior cameramen had volascii117nteered to cover Libya. The only two reporters for the channel stationed there had fled for their lives once the recent ascii117nrest began. Al-Jaber was followed for days before his death, Soascii117ag said. The day he was killed, he had gone 40 kilometers from Benghazi, when a car came from behind and started shooting. The cameraman was targeted, Soascii117ag said.

Now, the reporting is somewhat thinly distribascii117ted, according to the director. There are 'so many events.' Al Jazeera is now 'divided into pieces,' albeit willingly.