WASHINGTON - Canadian television viewers looking for the most thorough and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypthave the option of tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage of the turmoil is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile, have little choice but to wait until one of the U.S. cable-company-approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE, which the company makes publicly available. What they can't do is watch the network directly. Other than in a handful of pockets across the U.S. - including Ohio, Vermont and Washington, D.C. - cable carriers do not give viewers the choice of watching Al Jazeera. That corporate censorship comes as American diplomats harshly criticize the Egyptian government for blocking Internet communication inside the country and as Egypt attempts to block Al Jazeera from broadcasting. The result of the Al Jazeera English blackout in the United States has been a surge in traffic to the media outlet's website, where footage can be seen streaming live. The last 24 hours have seen a two-and-a-half thousand percent increase in web traffic, Tony Burman, head of North American strategies for Al Jazeera English, told HuffPost. Sixty percent of that traffic, he said, has come from the United States. Al Jazeera English launched in the fall of 2006, opening a large bureau on K Street in downtown Washington, but has made little progress in persuading cable companies to offer the channel to its customers. The objections from the cable companies have come for both political and commercial reasons, said Burman, the former editor-in-chief of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "In 2006, pre-Obama, the experience was a challenging one. Essentially this was a period when a lot of negative stereotypes were associated with Al Jazeera. The effort was a difficult one," he said, citing the Bush administration's public hostility to the network. "There was reluctance from these companies to embark in a direction that would perhaps be opposed by the Bush administration. I think that's changed. I think if anything the Obama administration has indicated to Al Jazeera that it sees us as part of the solution, not part of the problem," Burman said. Cable companies are also worried, said Burman, that they will lose more subscribers than they will gain by granting access to Al Jazeera. The Canadian experience, he said, should put those fears to rest. In Canada, national regulators can require cable companies to provide certain channels and Al Jazeera ran a successful campaign to encourage Canadians to push the government to intervene. There has been extremely little negative reaction over the past year as Canadians have been able to view the channel and decide for themselves. "We had a completely different process and result here in Canada -- a grassroots campaign that was overwhelmingly successful," said Avi Lewis, the former host of Al Jazeera's Frontline USA. (He now freelances for Al Jazeera while working on a documentary project with his wife, Naomi Klein.) Media critics have begun to push for Al Jazeera's inclusion. "It is downright un-American to still refuse to carry it," wrote Jeff Jarvis on Sunday. "Vital, world-changing news is occurring in the Middle East and no one-not the xenophobic or celebrity-obsessed or cut-to-the-bone American media-can bring the perspective, insight, and on-the-scene reporting Al Jazeera English can." Al Jazeera follows a public broadcasting model similar to the BBC, CBC and NPR and is largely funded by the government of Qatar, which Burman said takes a completely hands-off approach to content. Al Jazeera is the scourge of authoritarian governments around the Middle East, which attempt to block it. The network, however, covers much more than the Middle East, and now has more bureaus in Latin America than CNN and the BBC, said Burman. "As proud as we are of our Middle Eastern coverage, we are in other places in the world that are never, never seen on television in American homes," he said. Burman said that he will use the experience with the Tunisia and Egyptian uprisings in upcoming meetings with cable providers as the network continues its push. Comcast did not respond to requests for comment. "Why in the most vibrant democracy in the world, where engagement and knowledge of the world is probably the most important, why it's not available is one of these things that would take a PhD scholar to understand," Burman said. -- UPDATE: A reader emails to say that Al Jazeera programming is also being carried by the satellite channel LinkTV, which can be found on channel 9410 on Dish Network and 375 on DirecTV. Readers can demand Al Jazeera English here. Here are the contact pages for Comcast,Time Warner and DirecTV. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading opposition figure, has joined thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, in continued demonstrations demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency told the crowd on Sunday night that "what we have begun cannot go back" referring to days of anti-government protests. The National Coalition for Change, which groups several opposition movements including the Muslim Brotherhood, wants ElBaradei to negotiate with the Mubarak government. "The people want the regime to fall," protesters chanted as ElBaradei walked to the centre of the square, holding hands with some demonstrators. The show of continued defiance by the people came on a day when air force fighter planes flew low over Cairo along with helicopters and extra troop lorries appeared in the central square. As the protests continue, security is said to be deteriorating and reports have emerged of several prisons across the country being attacked and of fresh protests being staged in cities like Alexandria and Suez.
The protesters in Cairo, joined by hundreds of judges, had collected again in Tahrir Square in the afternoon to demand the resignation of Hosni Mubarak. Al Jazeera's correspondent, reporting from the scene, said that demonstrators confronted a fire truck, at which point army troops fired into the air in a bid to disperse them. He said the protesters did not move back, and a tank commander then ordered the fire truck to leave. When the truck moved away from the square, the thousands of protesters erupted into applause and climbed onto the tank in celebration, hugging soldiers. Main roads in Cairo have been blocked by military tanks and armoured personnel carriers, and large numbers of army personnel have been seen in other cities as well. Reporting from Cairo earlier on Sunday, an Al Jazeera correspondent said it was a "long way from business as usual" in the Egyptian capital on the first working day since protests peaked on Friday. He said that extra military roadblocks had been set up in an apparent attempt to divert traffic away from Tahrir Square, which has become a focal point for demonstrators. "It's still a very tense scene to have so much military in the capital city of the country." Earlier in the morning, another correspondent reported that the city appeared deserted in the early hours. "The streets are very dirty, there is debris everywhere. The police have just disappeared. Any security at this stage is in the hands of the army." Al Jazeera's correspondents in the port city of Alexandria have also said that anti-government protests have begun there, with hundreds of people on the streets. Security situation The security situation in the capital prompted the country's interior minister to hold meetings with top officials on Sunday. Habib al Adli met Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the defence minister, and vice president Omar Soliman, state television reported. As the police withdrew from streets across Egypt, Adli has been the target of growing criticism by the protesters who have called on him to resign. The absence of police has given looters a free rein, forcing ordinary citizens to set up neighbourhood patrols. However, police are expected to return to the streets two days after they viirtually disappeared. Sources told Reuters news agency that police would return to traffic, criminal and other duties but would not be sent in to confront protesters, with whom they often clashed violently in the first days of the protests. The army were ordered in on Friday. According to Dina Magdi, an eyewitness, unidentified men on Sunday morning came out of the interior ministry compound in a car and dumped a body on a street. They then opened fire on people present in the area and fled. There were no immediate reports of casualties in that attack. Al Jazeera's sources have indicated that the military has now also been deployed to the resort town of Sharm el Shaikh. Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the city of Suez, said the city had witnessed a "completely chaotic night", but that the streets were quiet as day broke.
"People are trying to get back to normal, but of course this is anything but," she said, adding that as the day wore on, the military had set up several checkposts in an attempt to "show people that they are here and ... will provide some kind of security". Rawya Rageh, our correspondent in Alexandria, reported similar scenes, saying that people were particularly concerned about their personal safety and that of their property. She reported that the military in Alexandria was not focusing on protesters, attempting instead to prevent any further damage or theft of property. Anti-Mubarak protests have engulfed Middle East's most populous nation since last Tuesday. More than 150 people have been killed in the unrest. On Saturday, an embattled Mubarak sacked his cabinet and appointed a vice-president and a new prime minister. But the move has failed to douse anger on the streets As international powers express concern regarding events in Egypt, the US state department has reduced its diplomatic presence in Egypt, saying it had authorised the voluntary departure of dependents of diplomats and non-essential workers. | |||||||||||||||||||
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | |||||||||||||||||||
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THE BASICSWhat's Going On In Egypt?: Protests started on Tuesday, January 25, when -- inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia -- thousands began taking to the streets to protest poverty, rampant unemployment, government corruption and autocratic governance of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for 30 years. These were the first protests on such a large scale in Egypt since the 1970s. Read more here.Why Egypt Matters: Why is the story gaining traction? There are a number of factors that make Egypt's unrest important, in both that country, the Middle East, and the world. Click here to see the top reasons why Egypt should matter to you. Quick Facts About Egypt: Established in 3100 B.C., Egypt today has a population of approximately 79 million. Its people speak Arabic and 99% are Egyptian. The country staged its first modern revolution in 1919 and established independence in 1922. Continued instability due to remaining British influence led to a second revolution in 1952 and the creation of the Egyptian Republic in 1953. | TIMELINE OF KEY DEVELOPMENTSTuesday, 1/25: Protests Begin, 'Day Of Rage'Wednesday, 1/26: Second Day Of Protests Thursday, 1/27: Egypt Shuts Down The Internet Friday, 1/28: Mubarak Speaks, Says He'll Form A New Government Saturday, 1/29: Anonymous Internet Users Help Egypt Communicate Sunday, 1/30: Al Jazeera In Cairo Being Shut Down Sunday, 1/30: U.S. Embassy In Cairo Urges Americans To Leave Sunday, 1/30: Hillary Clinton: Egypt Must Transition To Democracy |
ON THE GROUNDAward-Winning Egyptian Actor Mahmoud Kabil: "[T]hat feeling of being uncertain, it's a lousy feeling. When you don't have anybody to protect you, no police, no army, no nothing, and you have to rely on yourself." Full Q&Ahere. Deputy Middle East Director for Human Rights Watch Joe Stork: "The atmosphere in Suez is tense; the big complaint is the absence of security. There is a lot of rubble in the streets from stone-throwing, street battles etc. The army is out in force." Read more. Egyptian-born American Sahar Taman: "[I]t is understandable why Egyptian citizens are on the streets today, braving tear gas and rubber bullets, defying curfews and enduring electronic blackouts. Quite simply, they have seen thirty years of suppression and intimidation, and they have had enough." Read more. Follow ourcomprehensive Twitter list of more than 100 for on the ground reports in real-time. | WHO'S WHO | PHOTOS | VIDEOS |
Egyptian Professor Firas Al-Atraqchi:
Iman Satori: The Perpetual Tourist: 
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