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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010230698 | HE8700.9 .Q22 R87 2007 | Open Access Book | Advance Management | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Blending his riveting personal story with innovative ideas about how to win the war on terror, former marine turned Al Jazeera reporter Josh Rushing addresses all the issues he was not allowed to talk about when he was in uniform. If we are to win the war on terror, Rushing explains, we have to interact with the media at home and abroad in order to control the way we are perceived. By refusing to appear on Al Jazeera, Western leaders allow people who disagree with the current administration to represent the West to the Arab world in a skewed, negative way. By taking readers inside Al Jazeera, Rushing offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the controversial news channel and shows how the West can harness it to its advantage, relay a positive message to the Arab public, and hear what it has to say in return.
Author Notes
Josh Rushing works for Al Jazeera English as a military and current affairs correspondent. While providing news packages and insight on military issues, the Texas native also shoots thought-provoking stand-alone specials and long-form documentaries. A former U.S. Marine captain with 15 years of service, Josh served as a spokesperson at Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unbeknownst to him the documentary film, Control Room, captured his efforts to communicate the American message on Al Jazeera and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. The film was released in theaters across America and on DVD by Lionsgate Films.
Josh speaks to universities and organizations across America and around the world. He has been featured in GQ, Fast Company magazine, Time Magazine, and USA Today , and has appeared on The Today Show, Anderson Cooper 360, and The O'Reilly Factor. Josh lives in Washington, D.C, with his wife and two sons. More can be found about Josh at www.JoshRushing.com
Sean Elder work has appeared in Salon.com, Details , New York magazine, The New Yorker , The New York Times Magazine , National Geographic , and many other publications. He teaches writing at the Eugene Lang College at theNew School and lives in Brooklyn.
Reviews 2
Booklist Review
Rushing, a Texas native and former Marine, is a correspondent for Al Jazeera International , and he is based in Washington, D.C. His purpose here is twofold. He not only wants to dispel many of the myths and prejudices accepted by Americans about the Arab world but also hopes to persuade Americans that they can more effectively convey positive aspects of American culture and American government policies by interacting with molders of Arab opinion such as Al Jazeera . He spent 14 years as a Marine Corps media liaison officer, and he relays the now-familiar biases and misconceptions of Americans about Arabs. What is more interesting and informative are his descriptions of how the Arab world perceives American actions. Although he acknowledges that these perceptions are often distorted, Rushing asserts that American officials aggravate the problem by refusing to engage with Al Jazeera . Unfortunately, Rushing discounts one of the reasons for that refusal, which is Al Jazeera 's highly charged, biased reporting. Still, this work is a useful, informative effort to offer a different perspective on the cultural divide between Americans and Arabs. --Jay Freeman Copyright 2007 Booklist
Choice Review
Both enlightening and annoying, Rushing's book is an insider's look at Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language satellite TV network that captivates the Muslim world, troubles repressive governments there, and infuriates George W. Bush. Rushing is a high-profile correspondent for the English-language arm of Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera English). As a former US Marine officer, his presence on Al Jazeera is a poke in the eye to many Americans, some of whom consider him a traitor. Apparently unfazed, Rushing recounts his many speaking engagements before American military audiences. He correctly extols the network, a bastion of relative press freedom, as an alternative to Western news coverage of the Islamic world. But Rushing, who trumpets his candor, stops short of saying what Mohammed El-Nawawy and Adel Iskandar made clear in Al-Jazeera: How the Free Arab News Network Scooped the World and Changed the Middle East (CH, Dec'02, 40-1989): that the network's coverage of its host country and benefactor, Qatar, could hardly be called aggressive. Furthermore, Rushing's account, though revelatory and insightful, has a self-important tone to go with the "change the world" part of its subtitle. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. A. R. Cannella Central Connecticut State University
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| Introduction: Mission Al Jazeera | p. 1 |
| 1 The Butterfly and the Bulldog | p. 13 |
| 2 Selling the War: Behind the scenes at CentCom | p. 37 |
| 3 Bringing War Into Your Living Room | p. 73 |
| 4 "Just Walk Away" | p. 89 |
| 5 Al Jazeera Takes On the Arab World | p. 117 |
| 6 The Ground Truth about Al Jazeera | p. 149 |
| 7 What They Don't Know Can Kill Us | p. 169 |
| 8 Going Global: Behind the Scenes At Al Jazeera English | p. 191 |
| Postscript: Building the Bridge | p. 219 |
| Index | p. 229 |
| About the Author | p. 235 |
