A new tape of Osama bin Laden has popped up on the Arab network Al-Arabiya. The only problem is that the famous Al-Jazeera network says it aired the exact same tape over two months ago.
“This is 100 percent the same tape we broadcast in October,” Saeed Shouly, the deputy chief editor of Al-Jazeera, told The Associated Press minutes after Al-Arabiya first broadcast the tape.
But whether or not the network is trying to pull a fast one over the Arab world, one thing is for certain: Arab networks continue to air the propaganda of terrorists, namely bin Laden. They may call themselves a voice for Arabs in the international media world, but as long as they cater to the demands and words of terrorists they should not expect anyone to take them seriously. Could you imagine American media airing unsolicited tapes from every wacko faction in the United States? Like in the U.S., Arab media would do well to hold themselves to standards.