Al Jazeera English, the world’s first global English language news channel based in the Middle East, has recently launched their own YouTube Channel, providing the millions of visitors to the site with some educational content to watch in between the clips of sleeping animals and semi-humorous viral videos. Updated hourly with new content from the station’s broadcasts as well as exclusive stories and material specific to the YouTube site, this channel provides hope that a site like YouTube can be used for good and not just hours of mindless video.
Similar to the YouChoose video channel that was recently developed around the upcoming 2008 elections, it seems as if some media outlets are starting to understand the massive power and reach that a site like YouTube can give them. The Al Jazeera channel should help the network reach a wider audience and better inform existing viewers on the most pertinent news stories of the day. At the same time, the non-Western point-of-view should help to present this information in a different light, which makes me wonder how some less-educated viewers will react to such content. Thus far comments on the channel seem to be overwhelmingly positive, and the abundance of videos also bodes well for network’s ability to hold the interest of an audience who traditionally have a very short attention span. Only time will tell how successful such channels will be on a site like YouTube, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
1 comment:
Yep I heard in an newsletter from Michael Franti. You know he was over in Baghdad during the first nights of the invasion. In the streets with the city folk and with the troops. His journal is a fascinating read. And he is a magnificent musician. He Rocks On Purpose*
*Rock On Purpose
Post a Comment