Any American who reads their local paper knows that the U.S. is not keeping plans to invade Iraq a secret. But the Iraqi press is staying mum on the subject, preferring to tell Iraqis the latest proclamation by Saddam Hussein. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to freelance journalist Asla Aydintasbas about ...

The government of Israel just launched a satellite television channel broadcasting in Arabic. Officials hope the station will counter the dozens of other Arabic-language stations that they believe present the news with an anti-Israeli perspective. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to Mideast media scholar Adel Iskander, co-author of Al-Jazeera.

President Bush’s speech outlining the administration’s shift in Middle East policy drew big headlines across the world this week. And in the Arab press, Bush’s decision to call for the ousting of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat drew the biggest reactions. Host Bob Garfield talks to Alice Chasan, editor of ...

There’s been a lot of press lately about the pro-Israel coalition between Jewish groups and evangelical Christians. Not mentioned in this coverage, however, is one key reason that these Christians are supportive: Jewish presence in Israel is a precondition for the Second Coming. Host Mike Pesca explores the missing religious ...

Saad Eddin Ibrahim heads the Cairo Center for Democratic Studio in Egypt. Rarely does an obscure academic in an Arab country garner so much glowing attention from the media. But Ibrahim’s strong stances against his government’s policies have made him a hero in the eyes of more than one journalist. ...

Afghan journalists are taking advantage of new press freedoms since the end of the Taliban rule, publishing scores of new magazines and newspapers, and producing radio and television programs. Bob talks to Indira Lakshmanan of the Boston Globe.

While journalists were kept away from the Israeli Army’s invasion of Jenin in April, the world could only sit and wonder what was happening there. Instead of wondering, though, some papers speculated, with stories of a Jenin “Massacre.” Now we know such headlines were overstated, at best. Host Bob Garfield ...

Saudi Arabia has been fighting hard to distance itself from the word “terrorism” since Sept. 11. The country has even hired a Washington public relations firm to provide an image boost and create some TV ads. Can 30-second spots change Americans’ opinions on this Middle Eastern nation? Brooke talks to ...

Upset at what they see as an anti-Israel bias in Middle East coverage, several Jewish organizations across the country have organized protests against their local newspaper or national broadcasters. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to Fred Ehrman, who has prompted a one-month boycott against the New York Times, and Gary Rosenblatt, ...

When it comes to coverage of the Middle East, criticism of press bias always looms in the back of reporters’ mind. Since Israel’s recent attempts to limit coverage in the region, there’s been a new complaint to worry about: biased coverage of press restrictions. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to Joel ...

Bob checks in again with UPI Chief International Correspondent and ravenous foreign press reader Martin Walker. This week, he’s noticed a big change in Saudi Arabia’s newspapers.

Soon Arab teens throughout the Middle East will have a steady diet of Britney Spears and U.S. diplomacy courtesy of the U.S. government. The U.S. Broadcasting Board has enlisted Norman Pattiz of commercial radio distribution giant Westwood One to help design a pro-American radio network for the Arab world’s under ...

Add one more item to the list of needs that a newly revamped Afghanistan must provide its citizens: a national broadcaster. A BBC assessment team sent to Afghanistan by the UN discovered that Afghans rank dependable news right up there with food and shelter. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to BBC ...

The U.S. Government is basing its case against California-resident-turned-Taliban-soldier John Walker Lindh in part on a report by CNN. Reporter Robert Pelton interviewed Lindh in Afghanistan and now that piece has been entered as part of the government's case. Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Pelton about how his news story ...

No one would begrudge editorial cartoonist their status as journalists, or at least as legitimate members of the op-ed page. But few actually report on their subjects, they simply react to the reporting of others. So cartoonist Ted Rall decided he needed to visit Afghanistan first hand, and, as he ...

When reporters stumbled across a computer used by al-Qaeda members, investigators found documents containing information on biological weapons. They also found a memo saying the terrorists were inspired by Western press reports. We have one journalist's reaction. Host Brooke Gladstone talks to 60 Minutes Producer Peter Klein.

The interim government of Afghanistan has hired publicist Thomas Lauria, best known for his work with the Tobacco Institute, to give a facelift to the country’s new administration. OTM senses a touch of his previous client’s p.r. style in his current work, as evident in this (fake) ad for the ...

In Egypt, much of the images of America come from the country’s film industry, which has its own spin on Hollywood (remaking such classics as "Double Indemnity," "Pretty Woman" and "Midnight Cowboy"). How does Egyptian pop culture portray America? Bob asks Walter Armbrust, professor of Modern Middle Eastern studies at ...

A Palestinian cameraman videotapes a 12-year-old getting shot to death while his father tries to protect him. He sends it to his Jewish editor, who publishes it. A year later, the footage can be found on TV promos, t-shirts, and billboards. Deborah Campbell reports on the repercussions of an image ...

The Israeli military destroyed the Voice of Palestine radio station this month, generating concern among journalists. Host Brooke Gladstone talks with Marc Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, and Joel Simon, program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists.