Al-Jazeera

            
             Today, satellite dishes are on roof tops, balconies and even Bedouin tents across the Middle East and are primarily tuned in to Al-Jazeera. The network in and Arabic-language satellite TV station, nicknamed the Arab CNN whose reputation was built on its fearless coverage of the United States. The station plans to quadruple its size within the year. Al-Jazeera wants to assign correspondents to events at the White House, Pentagon and State Department. Although the ties to Bin Laden worry the security the Bush administration invited Al-Jazeera staffers to a Ramadan banquet at the White House. Seeing the power of the Arabic TV the Pentagon included Al-Jazeera camera teams in the hundreds of journalists permitted to accompany United States forces if they invade Iraq. The Bush administration also worries that the hearts and minds of Muslims watching this station may be affected. The network can be counted on the provide rootless footage of every Iraqi victim it can. These pictures will only add to the hostility against the United States. "We are talking about millions of ordinary people, a huge number of whom have gravely distorted but carefully cultivated images of us, Charlotte Beers, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, told a Senate committee. "Images so negative, so weird, so hostile that i can assure you a young generation of terrorists is being created." Senator Richard Lugar brought to attention how low the funds are to get the American message out to foreigners. "The aggregate amount that we devote to communicating the American Vision to the rest of the world, about $1.2 billion, is less than half of what some individual American companies, such as the Ford Motor Co. or the Pepsi Co., spend on advertising each year," Lugar said. Even if American up the funds now it is probably to late to shape the Arabian vision before the United States takes action. .