Pan-Arab news rivals see BBC as spur to coverage

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2008

DUBAI (AFP) — Fierce rivals in the Middle East, the two main pan-Arab news channels, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, see Tuesday's scheduled arrival of broadcasting by BBC Arabic Television as a spur to their own coverage of events.

Al-Jazeera, whose reports from Iraq have frequently upset the US military and whose openness to opposition spokesmen has irritated regional governments, has become hugely popular.

"We do not fear competition," said Ahmed al-Sheikh, editor-in-chief of the Doha-based, Qatari-funded Al Jazeera.

"In 12 years, we have gained enough experience and a network of correspondents strong enough to reach public opinion. The presence of an additional competitor will only encourage us to do better," he said.

Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, general...