Kindem, a communication studies professor at UNC, has put together a video presentation about al-Jazeera, a little-known Arab television network, and its view of the terrorist attacks, women in the Arab world and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. "Al-Jazeera, An Arab Voice for Freedom or Demagoguery? The UNC Tour," will show at 2 p.m. today in the Carolina Union film auditorium.
Al-Jazeera came under intense global scrutiny after Sept. 11.
The network's broadcast of Osama bin Laden's militant diatribes brought the network into the global spotlight and raised new questions about freedom of the press in the Arab world.
On Nov. 4, an entourage of UNC officials toured the Doha, Qatar base of al-Jazeera and spoke with the station's producer. Kindem was among the faculty members to visit al-Jazeera, and he said he found the tour informative.
After the trip, Kindem interviewed other UNC officials from the tour, asking their opinions of the network's people and ideas. "I think that most people who went on the tour found it very valuable," he said.
Kindem combined this interview footage with an interview of a station producer Samir Khader and some al-Jazeera broadcasts.
"He's added other perspectives," said Christine Ogan, who will respond to Kindem's production.
Ogan is a professor of journalism at Indiana University and a Park professor of journalism at UNC.
The al-Jazeera broadcast footage is vital because it shows an Arab perspective on things like the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the growth of women's movements in the Middle East. But Ogan said Khader's interview is the most important part of the film.
