US embassy cable - 04AMMAN1270

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 001270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R, NEA/PPD, NEA/ARN, NEA/P 
WHITE HOUSE FOR OFFICE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS 
STATE PASS IBB 
AMEMBASSY CAIRO FOR BULLOCK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KISL, KPAO, TSPA, OIIP 
SUBJECT: JORDAN REACTION TO AL HURRA LAUNCH 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  EARLY REACTION TO THE LAUNCHING OF AL HURRA IN 
JORDAN IS PREDICTABLY NEGATIVE FROM THE PROFESSIONAL 
PUNDIT CLASS, BUT MORE NUANCED AMONG OTHER - 
PARTICULARLY YOUNGER - CONTACTS OF PAS AMMAN.  THE 
HARSHEST CRITICISM HERE AIMS AT THE VERY PRESENCE OF 
THE CHANNEL, NOT ITS CONTENT, THOUGH THERE IS 
WIDESPREAD SKEPTICISM AMONG MANY CONTACTS THAT THE 
CHANNEL WILL DEAL FORTHRIGHTLY WITH ISSUES RELATED TO 
IRAQ AND THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI DISPUTE.  THE 
CHANNEL'S LAUNCH CAME AMIDST AN ALREADY OVER-HEATED 
ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING REPORTED PLANS BY THE USG AND G- 
8 TO LAUNCH A "GREATER MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE," WHICH 
MAY HAVE ADDED TO THE STRONG REACTION.  OTHER MEDIA 
COMMENTATORS CALLED FOR CALM AND PERSPECTIVE, HOWEVER, 
NOTING THAT FOREIGN RADIO BROADCASTS, INCLUDING BY 
ISRAELI RADIO, HAVE LONG HAD SUCCESS IN ATTRACTING A 
LISTENERSHIP IN JORDAN WITH NO DISCERNABLE NEGATIVE 
CONSEQUENCES FOR THE SOCIETY.  SOME CONTACTS WELCOMED 
THE NEW CHANNEL AS A SOURCE FOR U.S. VIEWS AND AS A 
WINDOW ON HOW THE U.S. SEES THE REGION.  ONE PAS MEDIA 
CONTACT, SKEPTICAL OF BUT NOT AVERSE TO AL HURRA, 
COMMENTED, "IF OUR SOCIETIES COULD SO EASILY BE 
CHANGED BY THE MERE PRESENCE OF A NEW TELEVISION 
CHANNEL, THEN WE REALLY DO HAVE PROBLEMS."  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  EMBASSY AMMAN CANVASSED CONTACTS AND CONVENED A 
SMALL "FOCUS GROUP" 2/18 OF EARLY TO MID-CAREER 
JOURNALISTS TO GUAGE LOCAL REACTION TO AL HURRA'S 
LAUNCH.  BLOCK QUOTES FROM NEWSPAPER COMMENTARIES 
FOLLOW BEGINNING IN PARA 6.  WHILE MANY OF THESE 
COMMENTARIES STRIKE A CRITICAL TONE, OUR OWN INFORMAL 
CANVASSING REVEALED A MORE NUANCED REACTION.  NEARLY 
ALL THE CONTACTS WITH WHOM WE SPOKE WERE AWARE OF THE 
CHANNEL, WITH MOST HAVING SEEN AT LEAST SOME EARLY 
PROGRAMMING.  TWO PRINICPAL AREAS OF COMMENT EMERGED 
FROM OUR CONTACTS: WHETHER AND HOW THE CHANEL MIGHT 
GAIN CREDIBILITY AMONG VIEWERS, AND CONCERN THAT THE 
CHANNEL WILL NOT SERVE TO BRIDGE MISUNDERSTANDINGS 
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND ARABS, BUT WILL RATHER CONSTITUTE 
ONE MORE VEHICLE THROUGH WHICH THE TWO SIDES TALK "AT" 
RATHER THAN "WITH" EACH OTHER. 
 
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CREDIBILITY - CAN AL-HURRA EVER ACHIEVE IT? 
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3.  ESTABLISHING AL HURRA'S EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE AND 
CREDIBILITY EMERGED AS THE SINGLE MOST-IMPORTANT ISSUE 
FOR OUR CONTACTS.  SOME DOUBTED IT COULD EVER SUCCEED 
IN DOING SO ("THE DAY THEY BROADCAST A BIN LADIN TAPE 
IS THE DAY THEY WILL BE BELIEVED," ONE SAID), WHILE 
OTHERS OBSERVED THAT THE FREE - AND CRITICAL - 
DISCUSSION THAT FOLLOWED THE INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT 
BUSH REVEALED A WILLINGNESS TO AIR MORE THAN ONE VIEW. 
A YOUNG FEMALE JOURNALIST COMMENTED THAT WHILE SHE WAS 
INHERENTLY SUSPICIOUS OF A NETWORK FINANCED BY THE US 
GOVERNMENT, SHE SAID IT COULD ONLY BUILD CREDIBILITY 
OVER TIME, AND THOUGHT IT UNFORTUNATE THAT EARLY 
PROGRAMS HAD INCLUDED PRONOUNCEMENTS THAT THE NETWORK 
WAS AN "ALTERNATIVE" TO AL JAZEERA AND AL ARABIYA. 
"THEY SHOULD BE MORE MODEST.  ONCE THEY'VE ESTABLISHED 
THEMSELVES THEY CAN MAKE SUCH CLAIMS, BUT IT'S A BIT 
PRESUMPTUOUS TO DO SO IN THEIR FIRST WEEK," SHE NOTED. 
THIS CONTACT ALSO THOUGHT THE VERY NAME OF THE NETWORK 
MIGHT BOTHER SOME VIEWERS:  "THEY'RE OVERPLAYING ALL 
THE REFERENCES TO FREEDOM," SHE SAID, "AND ANYWAY, ITS 
NOT TOTALLY FREE - ITS PAID FOR BY THE US CONGRESS." 
THIS SENTIMENT WAS ECHOED SOMEWHAT BY ANOTHER 
JOURNALIST CONTACT WHO LAMENTED THAT AT A TIME WHEN 
JOURNALISTS IN JORDAN ARE URGING THE GOJ TO DIVEST 
ITSELF OF ITS HOLDINGS IN THE JORDANIAN MEDIA SECTOR, 
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS ENTERED THE LOCAL MARKET 
RECENTLY WITH SEVERAL LARGE GOVERNMENT-DIRECTED MEDIA 
INITIATIVES (SAWA, HI MAGAZINE AND AL HURRA), MAKING 
IT MORE DIFFICULT, HE SAID, TO PERSUADE THE GOJ THAT 
DIVESTING ITS MEDIA HOLDINGS IS IMPORTANT.  THIS 
CONTACT THOUGHT AL HURRA COULD, AT THE SAME TIME, HAVE 
A LARGE IMPACT IN THE REGION IF IT DARED TO CHALLENGE 
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, WHO MIGHT BE RELUCTANT TO CENSOR OR 
CLOSE DOWN AL HURRA OFFICES (AS HAS BEEN DONE WITH AL 
JAZEERA OFFICES, FOR EXAMPLE) IF IT AIRED REPORTS ARAB 
GOVERNMENTS FOUND OBJECTIONABLE. 
 
4.  SEVERAL COMMENTATORS IN THE MEDIA AND AMONG OUR 
CONTACTS NOTED THAT JORDANIANS HAVE LONG BEEN USED TO 
FOREIGN MEDIA BROADCASTING, INCLUDING ISRAELI, BRITISH 
FRENCH AND AMERICAN RADIO, THAT HAVE EACH FOUND A 
LOCAL FOLLOWING.  NONE OF THIS HAS LED TO AN EROSION 
OF THE JORDANIAN CHARACTER, THEY NOTED, AND SUCH 
OUTLETS HAVE OFTEN SERVED AS IMPORTANT SOURCES FOR 
NEWS THAT GOJ-CONTROLLED MEDIA HAVE AVOIDED.  FOR THIS 
REASON, THESE CONTACTS BELIEVED THAT AL HURRA WOULD 
NOT BE REJECTED OUTRIGHT BY THE MAJORITY OF THE 
JORDANIAN PUBLIC.  HOWEVER, THESE AND OTHER 
COMMENTATORS EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM THAT AL HURRA WOULD 
BE WILLING TO FORTHRIGHTLY DISCUSS ISSUES RELATED TO 
THE U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN IRAQ AND THE ACTIONS OF 
THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AND ARMY IN THE PALESTINIAN 
TERRITORIES.  IF A PATTERN WERE TO EMERGE OF FAILURE 
TO DO SO, THEY SAID, THE NETWORK'S CREDIBILITY COULD 
BE CRIPPLED. 
 
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A DIALOGUE, OR MORE SPEAKING PAST EACH OTHER? 
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5.  SOME OF OUR CONTACTS HOPED AL HURRA WOULD NOT ONLY 
PRESENT INFORMATION FROM A U.S. PERSPECTIVE, BUT WOULD 
ENCOURAGE A TWO-WAY DIALOGUE.  THESE CONTACTS NOTED 
THAT AS MUCH AS AMERICANS MIGHT FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD BY 
ARABS, ARABS ALSO FEEL MISUNDERSTOOD BY THE U.S.  AL 
HURRA MIGHT HELP BRIDGE THIS DIVIDE, AND THEY HOPED IT 
WOULD NOT CONSTITUTE "YET ANOTHER" VEHICLE FOR THE TWO 
SIDES TO "SPEAK PAST ONE ANOTHER".  IN THIS REGARD, 
THE CONTACTS WE CONVENED TO VIEW AND DISCUSS THE 
CHANNEL VALUED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THEIR 
FEEDBACK AND HOPED THE NETWORK WOULD INCORPORATE THE 
VIEWS OF VIEWERS IN THE REGION AS IT MOVED FORWARD. 
 
6.  BLOCK QUOTES FROM THE JORDANIAN PRESS 
 
 -- "Al-Hurra Following Sawa .. The Problem Lies in 
the Policy Not in the Media !!" 
 
Daily columnist Uraib Rintawi writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/17): "Neither the U.S. satellite channel "Al- 
Hurra" nor other similar channels will succeed in 
changing the image of the United States amidst Arab 
public opinion . Without any new developments in 
Washington's stands and policies, "the professionals" 
at Al-Hurra channel and at Radio Sawa will be far from 
able to convince any of us that Washington is not 
biased towards Israel or that its occupation of Iraq 
is blessing and not a curse to the country . 
"Washington does not want to acknowledge the radical 
reason behind the question: "Why do they hate us?" . 
It also does not want to admit that it is greatly 
responsible for the collapse of its own image and 
position amidst Arabs.  This collapse in the U.S. 
image is bound to grow deeper even if our countries 
and societies begin to enjoy democracy and freedom. 
Indeed, this collapse may turn into institutionalized 
hatred that expresses itself in elected parliaments 
and governments." 
 
 
-- "The American `Al Hurra' Channel" 
 
Fahed Al-Fanek wrote in semi-official influential 
Arabic daily Al-Rai (2/17):  "The claim that Al-Hurra 
will help spread democracy in the Middle East is false 
because the U.S. is the ally of all the repressive 
regimes in the region.  As for the station's 
professionalism, this will be revealed in the coming 
days when we notice their selectivity not only in 
reporting, but also in using normative-loaded terms 
that only reveal the hidden agenda of their user. 
Most importantly, Al-Hurra has usurped the slot 
allocated for Iraq's satellite station, just as the 
U.S. has occupied this country.  This makes Al-Hurra 
guilty until proven innocent." 
 
 
-- "The American "Al-Hurra" !! " 
 
On the op-ed page of center-left, influential Arabic 
daily Al-Dustour (02/16), daily columnist Ibrahim Al- 
Abbssi asks:  "How can this Al-Hurra channel make Arab 
viewers truly fall in love with America and Israel 
while they are being burnt around the clock by U.S. 
policies as the case is in Palestine or Iraq ?  . We 
advise those who are managing "Al-Hurra" channel that 
their efforts will be fruitless and that this channel 
will not be able to rectify what America and Israel 
have spoiled over the decades.  This is especially so 
when the ongoing U.S.-Zionist aggression is still 
based on terrorizing this nation and undermining its 
history, civilization, ideology, culture, dignity, and 
land.  Arab viewers, on whom the managers of this 
channel have wagered their bets, are far smarter than 
falling into "Al-Hurra" channel's fragile and exposed 
trap.  This is the case even if this "Al-Hurra" turns 
into a cabaret that disseminates vice and perversion 
amongst Arab youth, as expected from it in the course 
of the next few days, thinking that it could sabotage 
and alienate the Arab identity." 
 
 
-- "The Thing that is More Dangerous to the Arab 
Conscience Than Al-Hurra Channel!" 
 
Daily columnist Bater Wardam writes on the op-ed page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(02/17): "There is no need to go overboard with the 
reactions towards Al-Hurra television channel.  It is 
not a programmed cultural and political invasion and 
it is no cause for fear for the Islamic Arab culture, 
nor does it cause any concern over the "future of the 
nation" given that the nation's present status cannot 
be any worse.  The truth of the matter is that Al 
Hurra television channel will be presenting a 
commodity that is not marketable in the Arab world, 
but is less serious and less influential than the 
extremism, the dancing, the impudence, and the 
depravity that Arabic-language satellite channel are 
broadcasting to us." 
 
Wardam adds: "The channel wants to compete with Al- 
Jazeera and Al-Arabiyya satellite channels in 
particular.  According to the channel's manager, the 
dissemination of accurate news reports and the entire 
truth will be the main factor in rendering Al-Hurra 
channel a success. However, I challenge the manager of 
the channel to dare to present the entire truth in his 
newscasts. The dissemination of the entire truth 
entails exposing the U.S. Administration's lies vis-a- 
vis the invasion of Iraq.  It also means exposing the 
destruction of life in Palestine; the increase in 
racism and extremism within the U.S. society; the 
predominance of the oil lords and the promoters of 
Zionism over U.S. political decision making; and the 
plundering of Iraq's resources in the name of 
rebuilding.  Only when the channel starts to 
disseminate the entire truth can we talk about its 
credibility. I personally believe that such programs 
as Star Academy, songs by Nancy Ajram and Haifa Wahbeh 
and the Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda tapes that are being 
broadcast by Arab satellite channels constitute a far 
greater danger to the Arab conscience - especially to 
the youth - than what Al-Hurra channel will 
broadcast." 
 
 
-- "From Al-Hurra to the Greater Middle East !!" 
 
Daily columnist Yasser Za'atreh writes on the op-ed 
page of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al- 
Dustour (02/17): "It is clear that Al-Hurra channel 
will be less dangerous than Radio Sawa and "Hi" 
magazine.  This is because it will deal with political 
and news-related matters which the Arab citizen will 
receive with much skepticism and suspicion, exactly as 
he did with Israeli radio. Al-Hurra is part of a U.S. 
media project aimed at tackling the question of hatred 
with a superficial mentality just like what is 
happening with "the Greater Middle East' project, 
which the United States plans to present to the G-8 
states during their conference in June. We are facing 
a multi-faceted war that carries shining titles such 
as freedom and democracy, good governance, economic 
reform, and spreading knowledge and other titles which 
cannot fool rational people who are aware of the 
"Imperialist" mentality that rules the United States 
these days." 
 
 
-- "The American public diplomacy hoax: why do they 
keep insulting us?" 
Opinion writer Rami Khouri writes on the op-ed page of 
centrist, influential among the elite English daily 
Jordan Times (02/11):  "If the U.S. really wanted to 
make the Middle East a better place and the U.S. a 
safer place, it should start by examining the impact 
of its own and Israel's policies on the Arab-Islamic 
world, as well as exploring faults within Arab-Islamic 
societies..  At many levels today - Palestine/Israel, 
Iraq, the war against terror, mass media, public 
diplomacy, democratic reform, religion and secularism 
- Americans and Arabs are interacting, but not 
communicating.The Middle East is a mess, America has 
been attacked, and anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli 
sentiments are at an all-time high in the region and 
the world.  By arguing that our region is troubled and 
violent because Arabs and Muslims hate American 
values, and then attempting to correct this by 
launching television, radio and magazine efforts in 
Arabic, the U.S. government perpetuates a fatal 
combination of political blindness and cultural 
misperception that is only going to exacerbate the gap 
between Americans and Arabs, rather than close it.. 
Al-Hurra [the U.S. Arabic-language satellite TV 
channel], like the U.S. government's Radio Sawa and Hi 
magazine before it, will be an entertaining, expensive 
and irrelevant hoax.  Where do they get this stuff? 
Why do they keep insulting us like this?" 
GNEHM