Questions

Read the following information about "Human Rights in Qatar":

• The monarch-appointed government of Qatar prohibits organized political parties and restricts civil liberties, including freedoms of speech, press, and assembly.
• Legal, institutional, and cultural discrimination against women limits their participation in society.
• Other continuing human rights concerns include restrictions on the freedoms of religion and movement, as foreign laborers could not freely travel abroad.
• Trafficking in persons, primarily in the domestic worker and labor sectors, are a significant problem.
  (from a 2014 U.S. State Department Human Rights report on Qatar)

Honest Reporting’s Daniel Pomerantz asserts: “AJ+ isn’t a news source. It’s government-owned propaganda published by the rulers of a Middle Eastern dictatorship.”

CAMERA on Campus, whose aim is “to bring to light inaccuracies spread about Israel on the campus and across the world,” wrote of AJ+:

AJ+ has a liberal, global-friendly cover. The problem with AJ+ is that it is not clear - it claims to be an altruistic social media source for a “global generation.” And it does indeed show interesting videos about international issues that entertain and educate viewers. However, this is a cover for Al Jazeera’s agenda to delegitimize Israel and promote anti-Zionism.

1. AJ+ describes itself as “News for the connected generation.” Scanning the website, a liberal slant is obvious. It is attempting to appeal to young people. Do you think AJ+ should be trusted as a news source because it presents a progressive tone? Explain your answer.

2. Why is it important to know who runs a news organization?