3 March 2010

Al Jazeera not Al Qaeda

by Radina Choleva

Picture source: http://shots.ikbis.com/image

tephen Cole, a renowned in-
ternational news anchor, gave
his audience at last week’s
Conversation an inside into
his work at the once known as
‘’the public enemy number one’’ chan-
nel, Al Jazeera.
Being blamed of tipping off Al Qaeda
for bombing, the news network has

“Our
reporting
is about
life and
death and
sometimes Stephen Cole co-presenting with Felicity Barr for Al Jazeera

journalists
Picture source: www.satdirectory.com/image

channel; we’re trying to make ourselves

pay with
different”. As to the signature of the
network he commented: “Our reporting

their lives”
been on air for already four years now,
and Cole argues it is recognized as the
“station voicing the voiceless”. Describ-
ing his colleagues and himself, Cole said
they are “the new kids on the block”,
though they consider themselves “a
bridge between cultures”.
When asked about the difference be-
tween Al Jazeera and other stations, he
emphasized: “We’re not a commercial
is about life and death and sometimes
journalists pay with their lives”.
He proudly argues that his channel
co-workers have not missed one big
international story for the last three
years, while trying to “have balance in
our reports”. Another distinction of Al
Jazeera’s reporting, as Cole puts it, is
that they have journalists “embedded journalist is the one “that wants to go
where nobody else is”, striving for a out”. When asked to give an advice on
global presence. how to become him, he replied with a
Cole referred to journalism as “a nasty grin on his face: “I don’t think anyone
business”, adding that there is “no safety would like to become me; though you
blanket on the road”, though a good should do your shorthand”.
 Directing the Vision
by Natasha De Silva
News In Brief
„„ The Ellen Terry Building was
vandalised this weekend leaving
students banned from lectures on
Monday.
„„ BBC’s future developments were exposed and debated by the Laptops owned by staff and even
corporation’s Director of Vision, Jana Bennett, at last Friday’s Coventry some hard drives were stolen, but no
Conversation. equipment from the Media Loan Shop
Confronted about BBC’s spending of taxpayers’ money Bennett explained was touched.
how this was necessary to bring the best quality television for its audience. Security has now been restored for
“UK is the second media market in the world because of the underpinning all the rooms that were broken into.
of public funding; for Britain to support its creative economy is a very
worthwhile intervention.”
She shared her vision for the BBC in the next five years: “It would be relevant „„ Jon Snow, visiting professor for
to audiences to be able to bridge the linear world of analogue television and Coventry University and renown
radio with the on demand world of web; and to be able to find new sources of presenter of Channel 4 News is to hold
creativity on the web by letting producers and the public invent new types of a Masterclass for students interested in
creativity which we haven’t seen before.” journalism and broadcasting.
A part of her job, as the Director of Vision, is to support other peoples’ He will be passing on some tricks of
imagination; taking risks with their creative talent and helping them bring the trade and will talk about his recent
new thoughts to the screen. reporting on the Haiti disaster.
Talking about joining the BBC, she said: “Being able to explore the world Check this out on Thursday 11
on behalf of an audience, to educate, entertain and to inform was something March from 9 – 11am in Room GSG 22,
that really stimulated my interest in the BBC.” Graham Sutherland Building
Bennett also spoke of her early student days at the London School of
Economics, where she befriended fellow student translators for the BBC World
Service. Having studied something entirely different to her current job, she „„ Coventry Conversations score high
confessed the reason behind her decision to go into journalism: “I can report hits on iTunes U, fastly approaching
on the world better, than I can become a scholar about the world.” 500,000. With an average download
The entire student audience was all ears when Jana Bennett gave her advice per podcasts of 650, the Conversations
on how to make it in the media: “Being interested in the media and enjoying it have now secured their place within
is important. The other thing is having something to say and knowing about the website. The most downloaded
things and being a generalist.” podcast of a 2010 Cov Con is the
one of Alan Rusbridger, with 833
downloads in less than a month.
Picture source: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive

„„ This week’s Conversations will

see Peter Barron (Head of Google’s
PR team for Northern Europe) and
Chris Arnot (author and journalist)
sharing their experiences and visions
to students. Catch them up in ETG34,
starting 1pm on Thursday and Friday.

Jana Bennett, Director of Vision for the BBC

The student and staff newsletter of the Media and

Communications department of Coventry School
of Art and Design
Edited by Teo Beleaga
Submissions invited to teo.beleaga@gmail.com
With many thanks to Natasha De Silva, Radina Choleva.