Al Manar: Radically Objective?

My initial impression of the English page of the Al Manar TV’s website is that it is does not match the extremely negative image of Al Manar. Hezbollah describes to Al Manar, its 24-hour satellite television network as “psychological warfare against the Zionist enemy,” and Al Manar has been banned in much of Europe and the Americas. I will discuss Al Manar TV’s Arabic programming in the following weeks but first wanted to delve into the website’s English content.

There are certain obvious features of propaganda: throughout the website, Israel is referred to as the Zionist entity. Additionally, at the very top of the page, website visitors are greeted with the words “Our Martyrs are Great Men” along with images of fallen leaders of Hezbollah. There are also peculiar polling questions, asking website visitors loaded questions about their opinion about the situation in Gaza.

However, much of the site content is characterized by balance and some semblance of neutrality, particularly when reporting on U.S. current events. Articles about Obama’s economic plan, the closing of Guantanamo, and the appointments of Hilary Clinton and Richard Holbrooke all provided multiple opinions when needed and lacked any obvious insertion of opinion. Even articles about Israel’s parliamentary elections are highly detailed and informative, with multiple viewpoints such as direct quotes from Israeli politicians as well as exit poll data.

In light of the fact that Al Manar’s English content is more moderate than expected, I will continue to monitor the English website to compare it with Al Manar’s Arabic television programming.