Iraq through other eyes

For today's post I decided to try something a little different. Instead of reading about news in the Middle East through my common resources, (Seattle P-I, New York Times, etc) I looked at current events in Iraq through international news Web sites, aka non-American.

I started at www.alJazeera.com. The site had one section dedicated entirely to news from the Middle East and another just covering Iraq. One of the top three stories was a brief about guards in Kirkuk from a private security company who had fired at a taxi cab that approached their convoy. Three civilians were wounded, including a journalist, according to police.

The site also reported that spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, had made a rare appeared at the White House. During the visit al-Dabbagh urged Turkey not to carry out a possible military strike at Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Another news brief commented added that during his visit al-Dabbagh also announced that Saddam Hussein's notorious accomplice "Chemical Ali" will be executed "in the coming days."

While I was glad to see that the Middle East was a focus of the Al Jazeera home page, I was disappointed that most of the stories were briefs from Agence France Presse (AFP).

Curious to see if, and how, these stories would be covered on other news websites I visited the Web site for Lebanon's The Daily Star. However, at The Daily Star I found very different stories regarding Iraq on the home page. The first one was a longer piece, though also from the Agence France Presse. It was about Iraqis flocking to a zoo in Baghdad to celebrate Eid. As the article described children playing with balloons and women dressed in fine attire it allowed the reader to see them as human, instead of strange foreigners. However, it also mentioned that this was a relief from the violence that affects their everyday lives.

The article also mentions that much of the zoo was damaged during the U.S. lead invasion in 2003, so that only some birds and a few dozen other animals remain. I appreciated that this story, unlike those in Al Jazeera, gave the reader insight into the lives of Iraqis.

The final Web site I looked at today was the Middle East Times. I liked how this site was broken down to focus on region, business, culture, women, sci-tech, commentary and your world. On the homepage I found two stories about Iran. The first I had not seen on either of the other websites. The article reported that Iraq's Kurdish administration had called for direct negotiations with Ankara. It described thousands of fearful Iraqi Kurds protesting in the streets against this military threat.

The second story on the Middle East Times homepage also covered the delay of "Chemical Ali's" execution. However, it gave much more background information, explaining that the hanging of Ali Hassan Al Majid (finally we get his real name!) was delayed last month due to the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr. I appreciated much the further details and correct use of Al Majid's name.

Going through all of these articles has made me wonder, what causes the discrepancy in news coverage, culture, journalistic styles, proximity?

Visit the sites, post comments and let me know what you think!