Addicted to Aljazeera

Warning : I am now going to spend the whole post writing about my love affair with a news channel (channel 406 to be exact) I'm so addicted that I am even considering being one of their war correspondents. We could always use more suicidal journos in the Middle East right? ok maybe not just yet. I may need my legs later on in life. I know why they say watching news is addictive. I'ts not just the news though, they have great programming. Like The Listening Post, which has to be my favourite. Where they look at the way the world media cover certain events like the Iraqi War, 9/11 or in today's episode, the CNBC network and how they misled viewers with their coverage of the "financial crisis" etc. It is always good to get a fresh perspective on the news of the day and Aljazeera does exactly that for me. They also have brillant documentaries. let us bear in mind that I was not much of a doccie buff till I had to take a class in "documentary scriptwriting" about 2 years ago. Besides Nanoek of the North being the first doccie ever made (or something along those lines) I have newly found appreciation for doccies now and that class I grudginly took. I sit through the Documentaries on the Middle East (Cold Peace which I sat through yesturday) with a huge smile on my face. They also have a nice one on South Africas biggest hospital, Baragwanath called "Saving Soweto"... I mean why can't the SABC news..okay let me not go there. Rather than looking at the Middle East as an oil rich, terrorist ridden hell-hole, they actually go in and at least try to get the whole story. I mean they were the only media organisations with cameras inside Gaza after the recent attacks, so at least (at least in my mind) they are more credible that a blithering journo from {insert fav news channel here} who is stuck at the border but is reporting on the thing like he is actually inside. ***end of rant****