Al-Jazeera

It may be something of a Pyrrhic victory -- a victory lacking the substance of winning -- but news agency Al Jazeera's purchase of the American "Current" TV network in the U.S. may give heart to those who realize that too often what passes for U.S. news is nothing more than twice-chewed pablum.

 News outlets are losing their clout as their advertising income evaporates. The Internet has siphoned off much of what was frequently a 20% profit per year. The response by news organizations has been to cut the number of reporters and to narrow the focus of what is reported on. News organizations may self-congratulate all they like ("a free and vibrant press is a hallmark of democracy"), but where the bottom line (remember, that's frequently been 20%) is affected, whatever was once called democracy can go suck an egg.

News-gathering costs money and if there is not enough money, easy reporting is easier. Crime, opinion, analysis, and other church-social reporting costs less. The 'importance' of an issue is gauged by what other 'news' gatherers might call important. Group-think gathers momentum. Joseph Goebbels smiles knowingly.

Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar. Its reporting is generally clear and crisp. Its perspectives do not seem to overwhelm a gathering of facts. Al-Jazeera is unlikely, for example, to lie down and spread its legs for the careless use of the word "Arab." And that is good news for an American fed with unexamined and unparsed generalities. True, its Mideast reporting panders to some extent to a Mideastern audience, but news organizations do that -- report on what is likely to interest its nearest constituency. And Al-Jazeera will do the same with its English language TV expansion. But its vision, format and funding make it less likely that it will fall for the easy nostrums of an ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS or other group-think channel.

Perhaps I am overly optimistic. I do know that at the same time Al-Jazeera is seeking to expand, the news audience is contracting. When times are tight, who has time for someone or something else? So, even if they are better, who will know? Or care?

A Pyrrhic victory, perhaps, but I am happy to think Al-Jazeera made this move.