Did Al Jazeera tweak the whole narrative of Arab World Protests?

Despite the network’s spectacular converge of the Egyptian protests, one can’t help but suspect its impartiality given that it is owned by a 185-year-old royal family that has friends and enemies all over the Arab World. Of the two major protests going on the Middle East, why is Al Jazeera (and the world) covering one more than the other.

Al Jazeera has come a long way from the time when it was just known for showing Osama Bin Laden tapes. During the Egyptian crisis the entire international media, including BBC World and Reuters, were at least a step behind the Arab news network. At one point, I think, even Twitter was panting with all the running it had to do to keep with Al Jazeera. Indisputably the historic success at Tahrir Square does have a vital contribution from the live 24/7 coverage by the channel.

What is happening in Middle East now as protests continue in Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran and Libya

Yemeni President Ali Saleh

The protests in the Middle East are spreading like a wild fire threatening to engulf the whole region, check that, the whole world. After the success of Egypt protests, every capital from the Gulf of Eden to the Atlantic Coast is seeing at least some level of protests. I have put together a “what is going on where” brief to give you a quick snapshot of how this historical event is unfolding. If you haven’t already, read the previous two briefs (here and here) by this blog because this one tries not to repeat those points.

All you need to know about Arab World Protests: Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan

The entire Arab region is engulfed in popular uprisings sparked by the success of Tunisian Revolution. And it is all happening at lightning-fast speed, fuelled by Social Media and angry emotions. Here is a quick and dirty introduction to why and how this is happening.

Today hundreds of thousands of protesters are on the streets in capitals around Arab region, protesting for removal of incompetent dictators and governments. Starting from Tunisia, the anger has spread like wild fire and is constantly being fed by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Overnight, dictators, who have ruled their countries for decades, are finding their position shaken. But for rest of the world, it is difficult to understand how a region that has not seen a government overthrow since 1979, is witnessing so many revolutions at once. Here is the explanation.

As had been pointed out by this blog, some time before these protests began, the catalyst for all of them is the rising food prices, unemployment and inflation, which has left these poverty-stricken countries in deep crisis. And to top it all off, each country had its own political baggage to exacerbate the anger. Here is how it all began.