Here’s a report that the only TV studio available to Al Jazeera English to do satellite feeds from New Hampshire– WMUR in Manchester– has arbitrarily rescinded the Arab network’s access to the station. I’m told that WMUR is the only broadcast affiliate in NH, and the one that presidential candidates live and die by every 4 years. Media Nation:
Last week WMUR-TV (Channel 9) in Manchester, N.H., apparently shut off access to Al Jazeera, which [reporter Deborah] Arnesen had used to broadcast several segments. According to the Concord Monitor, Arnesen had been scheduled to appear on Al-Jazeera to discuss President Obama’s outreach to women and minorities. Instead, she had to do it by phone.
The Monitor reports that WMUR has not responded to requests for comment. But Sarah Alansary, a producer for Al Jazeera, is quoted as saying the station sent a message cutting off access:
They sent an e-mail telling them sorry, the studio’s no longer booked for you. We don’t wish to do business with your organization. I don’t know what’s the reason.
…“Every candidate on the planet who thinks of running for president is coming here,” Arnesen tells the Monitor. “Don’t you want the Middle East to know what’s going on? What message are they sending by shutting them off?”
