Aljazeera viewers fall over biased Syria coverage

Aljazeera viewers fall over biased Syria coverage
Wed May 29, 2013 14:04:09

A new survey shows Qatar-based Aljazeera broadcaster is losing audience shares in Arab countries due to its biased coverage of Syria crisis.

According to the poll conducted by an American survey research group, Aljazeera's poor professional and moral conduct reduced its worldwide viewership from 43 million viewers per day to around 6 million, Middle East Online reported.

Adel Iskandar, a professor of communication at Georgetown University and co-author of a 2002 book on the Qatar-based news organization said earlier that the network had lost credibility among Arabic-speaking audiences for its coverage of the Syria crisis.

"Aljazeera made a name for itself doing investigative reporting but has lost a large amount of its audience in the Syrian conflict by being seen an extension of the Qatari foreign ministry," he said.

With massive resources from gas-rich Qatar, Aljazeera has gained momentum in the Arabic-language media landscape since its foundation in 1996.

It is now preparing to launch Aljazeera America as well as a French channel.

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