Al Jazeera in Thailand

[Gonzo the Face]

I watch, daily a couple English language News stations , on my computer. Asia News, CNN, & Al Jazerra English. For me Asia News is good, but perhaps its my computer, but they keep breaking up and repeating the same words and phrases. I don't mean every half hour in a news report but maybe within a sentence. If its live how can this be??? There must be some delay in the broadcast. Its very disconcerting to have a blip and the same 10 words or so repeated. Other than that , I find Asia News pretty good.

CNN is good as always and I view it pretty much but the news is more international than regional.

Overall I find Al Jazerra to be the best all around. Thailand news, when appropriate, as well as regional and international. Now having said that, I do note that as of yesterday as well as this morning the broadcast seems to be all from London Center rather than the usual broadcasting from Doha. Any one hear the reason for this ??? Is there some reason to block or relocate , that you have heard of??? Is it something to do with the military take over???

Any other news junkies out there like to give their opinions on available International news reporting?

Also does anybody have any other English News Stations that I haven't mentioned, that can be viewed on the internet , here in Thailand ???

G

[YipYipYa123]

bbc

[Gonzo the Face]

bbc

I do listen to BBC but was told that it is not available as live streaming here in Thailand.

If it is .... do you have a link??

G

[Ulysses G.]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Chao Lao Beach]

What is WETV ? What is the advantage of it over the original source website ?

[Seastallion]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

In fact it is you who is being biased here because you failed to mention the same Wiki article also details the 8 or 9 Muslim countries that have at various times either banned, jammed, or criticised Al Jazeera for being too biased against them.

It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam. I used to watch it every day and found it suprisingly refreshing how forthright they would be in telling it as it is, even when it invloved a Muslim or Muslim country.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Seastallion

[KhunBENQ]

bbc

I do listen to BBC but was told that it is not available as live streaming here in Thailand.

If it is .... do you have a link??

G

Countless live stream sites have it on offer.

I just tried this one and it works well (picture quality not great but OK for news).

https://www.streamago.tv/channel/809/default/

Mostly german language peer streaming sites that have it (but currently not working well):

http://streamtivi.com/

http://schoener-fernsehen.com/

(the national version "BBC NEWS" works well on both sites)

Edited June 6, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[Ulysses G.]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

Number one, you are not a moderator, so do not pretend to be one.

Number two, I did not cut and paste, I found information on-line that I was aware of already and used it as a basis for my post, just like they taught us in school. One does not have to change every word.

Number three, I could care less what your opinion is of Al Jazeera. I trust the many journalists that quit them en masse because of Al Jazeera's very biased reporting.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

What is WETV ? What is the advantage of it over the original source website ?

It is a cable TV network in Northern Thailand. It does not have the problems that Gonzo reported with the website - or at least I have not seen them.

[Gonzo the Face]

bbc

I do listen to BBC but was told that it is not available as live streaming here in Thailand.

If it is .... do you have a link??

G

Countless live stream sites have it on offer.

I just tried this one and it works well (picture quality not great but OK for news).

https://www.streamago.tv/channel/809/default/

Mostly german language peer streaming sites that have it (but currently not working well):

http://streamtivi.com/

http://schoener-fernsehen.com/

(the national version "BBC NEWS" works well on both sites)

Thanks for the link ....... have now added it to my news viewing list of favs.

Thanks again

G

[Gonzo the Face]

bbc

I do listen to BBC but was told that it is not available as live streaming here in Thailand.

If it is .... do you have a link??

G

Countless live stream sites have it on offer.

I just tried this one and it works well (picture quality not great but OK for news).

https://www.streamago.tv/channel/809/default/

Mostly german language peer streaming sites that have it (but currently not working well):

http://streamtivi.com/

http://schoener-fernsehen.com/

(the national version "BBC NEWS" works well on both sites)

Thanks for the link..... tried it..... looks good added it to the news list

Thanks again

G

Edited June 6, 2014 by Gonzo the Face

[casualposter]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

"Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased."

I've not noticed overt bias. I think Al Jazeera is generally excellent.

The company is one of the world's top brands and (apparently) watched by Lady Clinton.

[Sandman77]

Al Jazeera can be received free to air

On 68,5 east in cband

Signal very strong 13,5 db

Here in Thailand with 2,49 meter dish

In Europe can also receive same transponder with same dish size at 10,3 db signal strength!

You only need free view into the sky!

[casualposter]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

In fact it is you who is being biased here because you failed to mention the same Wiki article also details the 8 or 9 Muslim countries that have at various times either banned, jammed, or criticised Al Jazeera for being too biased against them.

It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam. I used to watch it every day and found it suprisingly refreshing how forthright they would be in telling it as it is, even when it invloved a Muslim or Muslim country.

I didn't notice this comment last time.

Yes, Ulysses has copied and pasted from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jazeera_controversies_and_criticism

The article's claims of bias stem from US embassy cables on WikiLeaks.

[amykat]

I have both WE TV, which is cable company in Chiang Mai ...and maybe other areas ...they have other news channels, like TV5 from France, DW ...I don't know the official name, a German channel which has news, and has some shows in English too, Channel News Asia, from Singapore, plus a Korean news channel, and several others, which when you have limited TV or are bored, or are blacked out due to coup/rain,(or when dreambox had problems), can come in handy.

I have had this channel in all my house, and UBC/True/dreambox or not., and switch around according to my needs, wants, the rain problems, the coup (WE TV had BBC and all the other news channels back several days earlier than True, when dreambox got cut, and before I could get re-set up on UBC ...I hate UBC/True, I used it a lot.

OH, and WE TV has Al Jeezera English which is awesome, and Fox, in case you want to get infuriated, or laugh, or whatever. But it does have very different choices in news, which is great for the cost. I pay a year in advance, and think it costs 300 bath a month, so has been value for money, for me! And two people in your home, can watch different channels this way. (You know, since with True, only one channel per house, at one time, works.)

I have it set up with cables to each TV, when I want to switch, I just change a cable, and voila, I have the other TV system.

Now I forgot what this topic was about, TV systems, or just Al Jazeera? Al Jazeera is great though, and also has tons of shows available over the internet for one to watch whenever you want. Many good documentaries and a sort of series that are documentaries. Like, last year, I was very into watching a series that was about Africans immigrating to Europe and what their lives were like. Another one, called "Indian Hospital" I believe, was quite interesting. You really could spend a good few hours every day on the Al Jazeera website for sure! Sometimes, all day!

[Ulysses G.]

Yes, Ulysses has copied and pasted from Wikipedia:

Sorry, but repeating something that you read in an article is not "cut and pasting" unless it is exactly the same. By the way, this information can be found many places other than Wiki and the fact that members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage was widely reported.

As many as 22 Al Jazeera employees have quit since the overthrow of Mohammad Mursi, amid concern over the channel’s alleged bias towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its coverage of Egypt.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/2013/07/09/Al-Jazeera-employees-in-Egypt-quit-over-editorial-line-.html

Edited June 6, 2014 by Ulysses G.

[rgs2001uk]

Yes, Ulysses has copied and pasted from Wikipedia:

Sorry, but repeating something that you read in an article is not "cut and pasting" unless it is exactly the same. By the way, this information can be found many places other than Wiki and the fact that members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage was widely reported.

As many as 22 Al Jazeera employees have quit since the overthrow of Mohammad Mursi, amid concern over the channel’s alleged bias towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its coverage of Egypt.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/2013/07/09/Al-Jazeera-employees-in-Egypt-quit-over-editorial-line-.html

Ah, a party that won an election then was overthrown by a military junta, where have we heard of that before?

I find the documentaries to be interesting, and they dont stink of FOX news bias.

[Seastallion]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

Number one, you are not a moderator, so do not pretend to be one.

Number two, I did not cut and paste, I found information on-line that I was aware of already and used it as a basis for my post, just like they taught us in school. One does not have to change every word.

Number three, I could care less what your opinion is of Al Jazeera. I trust the many journalists that quit them en masse because of Al Jazeera's very biased reporting.

Number one, I am not a moderator and am not pretending to be one. Pointing out that your cut and paste from Wiki was not credited, nor pointing out that, by that omission you may be breaking forum rules, is not "pretending to be a moderator"; It's a simple courtesy to inform you.

Number two, It's a strange coincidence that your post used exactly the same words as Wiki. You are a remarkable fellow to have worded your post thus, and whatsmore you are remarkable for already knowing this stuff but checked Wiki just to be sure.

Number three, everyone has an opinion, but some have an opinion based on ALL the facts,

Pull the other one.

[Globalist]

Of course their coverage of Israel-related stories is not un-biased, but otherwise Al Jazeera English is a remarkably high quality news and documentary channel.

In my opinion their documentaries are on par with, if not better than, BBC's. Also refreshing to see stories from parts of the world that the "old world" media never bothered reporting on.

As to the OP's initial question on streaming quality, Thailand suffers a bottleneck with respect to its gateway server, so the bandwidth is oftfen not really sufficent for streaming video during weekday evenings and weekends. There is loads of information about this in the TV Internet forum.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Globalist

[impulse]

Can't really stand to watch the news on TV any more**.

It's just too hard to sit through hours of fluff, repeated umpteen times during a day. Too much idle tripe between real news, and usually quite a few hours behind.

I get all mine by interweb, and weed out stories about the 12 year old CEO and the guy who's "revolutionizing the world" with an energy saving product that's been available in China for 20 years now- copied from European technology in the '90s.

My faves, in no particular order: BBC, AlJazeera, CNN, Reuters. Not that they're any better than the others, but if I read all of them, I usually have a lot more of the story from different viewpoints.

Edit: ** Two exceptions: Daily Show and Colbert Report. Kind of sad when you watch Comedy Central to get the news and watch Fox News to laugh at the idiots.

Edited June 6, 2014 by impulse

[Sandman77]

Why no body talk about

Euronews , this is one of the best and most watched news channel in Europe

Avalible also in Thailand asiasat 100,5 east cband

In English and German

Or on App Store !

[arjunadawn]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

In fact it is you who is being biased here because you failed to mention the same Wiki article also details the 8 or 9 Muslim countries that have at various times either banned, jammed, or criticised Al Jazeera for being too biased against them.

It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam. I used to watch it every day and found it suprisingly refreshing how forthright they would be in telling it as it is, even when it invloved a Muslim or Muslim country.

Perhaps "It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam," but it is invariably true. Anything less would smack of blasphemy, or dangerously finesse it. Is there a problem with a news agency being pro-Islam? Nah, probably not. I think Christian and other news services have a bias; it's their programming model. They serve a constituency and their ability to extend that to a larger audience will depend on their content and objectivity. But it's untrue that Al Jazeera is set up on a secular model, in a monarchical Muslim state. If it's noted some Muslim states protest Al Jezeera it'd be an erroneous conclusion that therefore Al Jazeera is not "pro-Islam.

Many Muslim countries have conflicting political and other issues. Indeed, the Sunni and Shia problem looms largest. A few GCC countries have Shia majorities and Sunni minority in power. Then there are further regional, and tribal layers of local issues that are undoubtedly "managed" in the region through news and perceptions. Al Jezeera is most certainly not off the leash to do as it wishes, editorialize without oversight, and potentially upset the delicate balance that more than one local government clings to. To suggest Al Jazeera has this liberty would be contrary to every other organ in the Arab world- the government most definitely cares what's reported. It's my opinion there are two aspects, one local and one international; one a near government managed voice and the international Al Jezeera is probably slightly muted, but nevertheless "pro-Islam."

[Seastallion]

Of course their coverage of Israel-related stories is not un-biased, but otherwise Al Jazeera English is a remarkably high quality news and documentary channel.

In my opinion their documentaries are on par with, if not better than, BBC's. Also refreshing to see stories from parts of the world that the "old world" media never bothered reporting on.

As to the OP's initial question on streaming quality, Thailand suffers a bottleneck with respect to its gateway server, so the bandwidth is oftfen not really sufficent for streaming video during weekday evenings and weekends. There is loads of information about this in the TV Internet forum.

Just posing the question: Is it possible that anyone who is pro-Israel would see even plain facts that put Israel in a bad light as "anti-Israel"?

Is it possible that even someone who is essentially ambivalent, but has been exposed to covert and sometimes subliminal pro-Israel propaganda all their life (as happens in some/many sectors of Western society) might see the presentation of facts about Israeli behaviour as biased?

Some will even see this post as "anti-Israel, when in fact it is just asking a reasonable question and intimating a reasonable answer.

[simple1]

The pros and cons of Al Jareera reporting is summarised at the URL below; a few quotes:

"The Arabic channel, not surprisingly, is aimed squarely at an Arab audience and prides itself on giving voice to a wide range of perspectives from throughout the region. The result? At times it airs the views of extremists, "sometimes without challenging them as much as they should," Nisbet says. "There are definitely some biases in that they are an Arabic channel for Arab audiences."

"We as a country need to know what other people think of us," he says. "If we really want to make informed decisions about foreign policy and about the opportunities and challenges we face overseas, we need to hear that perspective. Al Jazeera provides a very non-American window on the world that we need to be looking through."

http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/Is-Al-Jazeera-Anti-Semitic-And-Anti-American.htm

Edited June 7, 2014 by simple1

[Seastallion]

Usually Al Jazeera is OK unless the news is concerning the Middle East and then it is very biased.

Al Jazeera is state media, owned by the government of Qatar and the United States Department of State internal communications claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Numerous prominent staff members and 22 members of Al Jazeera's Egyptian bureau resigned citing biased coverage - in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood. I do think that they do some interesting coverage, but I do not trust them when it comes to Islam or the Middle East.

I like Channel News Asia best for political coverage on Thailand, but I watch it on WETV and it doesn't have the problems that Gonzo mentioned.

If you are going to cut and paste from somewhere, it is customary and polite to give credit. Forum rules, too, I think.

In fact it is you who is being biased here because you failed to mention the same Wiki article also details the 8 or 9 Muslim countries that have at various times either banned, jammed, or criticised Al Jazeera for being too biased against them.

It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam. I used to watch it every day and found it suprisingly refreshing how forthright they would be in telling it as it is, even when it invloved a Muslim or Muslim country.

Perhaps "It can not be said that Al Jazeera is pro-Islam," but it is invariably true. Anything less would smack of blasphemy, or dangerously finesse it. Is there a problem with a news agency being pro-Islam? Nah, probably not. I think Christian and other news services have a bias; it's their programming model. They serve a constituency and their ability to extend that to a larger audience will depend on their content and objectivity. But it's untrue that Al Jazeera is set up on a secular model, in a monarchical Muslim state. If it's noted some Muslim states protest Al Jezeera it'd be an erroneous conclusion that therefore Al Jazeera is not "pro-Islam.

Many Muslim countries have conflicting political and other issues. Indeed, the Sunni and Shia problem looms largest. A few GCC countries have Shia majorities and Sunni minority in power. Then there are further regional, and tribal layers of local issues that are undoubtedly "managed" in the region through news and perceptions. Al Jezeera is most certainly not off the leash to do as it wishes, editorialize without oversight, and potentially upset the delicate balance that more than one local government clings to. To suggest Al Jazeera has this liberty would be contrary to every other organ in the Arab world- the government most definitely cares what's reported. It's my opinion there are two aspects, one local and one international; one a near government managed voice and the international Al Jezeera is probably slightly muted, but nevertheless "pro-Islam."

I suggest that they do indeed finesse it. I also suggest that there is indeed a problem if any news agency is pro-anything.

Keep in mind that Qatar is not your typical Arab state, and according to Wiki, "Qatar maintains close relationships with western powers—Al Udeid Air Base plays host to US and UK air forces—and eastern powers, and has often tried to bridge the gap between Muslim and non-Muslim states."

As such, the leash that it is on appears to me to be quite a long one and with a soft velvet collar. There is no doubt that their individual journalists are highly professional, and not all of them are Muslim, either.

[Seastallion]

The pros and cons of Al Jareera reporting is summarised at the URL below; a few quotes:

"The Arabic channel, not surprisingly, is aimed squarely at an Arab audience and prides itself on giving voice to a wide range of perspectives from throughout the region. The result? At times it airs the views of extremists, "sometimes without challenging them as much as they should," Nisbet says. "There are definitely some biases in that they are an Arabic channel for Arab audiences."

"We as a country need to know what other people think of us," he says. "If we really want to make informed decisions about foreign policy and about the opportunities and challenges we face overseas, we need to hear that perspective. Al Jazeera provides a very non-American window on the world that we need to be looking through."

http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/Is-Al-Jazeera-Anti-Semitic-And-Anti-American.htm

True enough, but Al Jazeera English is a different broadcast with a different editorial staff.

[simple1]

The pros and cons of Al Jareera reporting is summarised at the URL below; a few quotes:

"The Arabic channel, not surprisingly, is aimed squarely at an Arab audience and prides itself on giving voice to a wide range of perspectives from throughout the region. The result? At times it airs the views of extremists, "sometimes without challenging them as much as they should," Nisbet says. "There are definitely some biases in that they are an Arabic channel for Arab audiences."

"We as a country need to know what other people think of us," he says. "If we really want to make informed decisions about foreign policy and about the opportunities and challenges we face overseas, we need to hear that perspective. Al Jazeera provides a very non-American window on the world that we need to be looking through."

http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/Is-Al-Jazeera-Anti-Semitic-And-Anti-American.htm

True enough, but Al Jazeera English is a different broadcast with a different editorial staff.

Sure, as mentioned in the link I provided:

Eric Nisbet, a communications professor at Ohio State University who has studied Arab media and anti-Americanism, says it's important to distinguish between the English and Arabic channels of Al Jazeera. The English channel has a very cosmopolitan perspective and is staffed largely by former corespondents from the BBC and U.S. networks, he says.

[Sandman77]

Very good defiantly better then foxnews!