A privatization of Al Jazeera may not change the content of the news but at least would take the heat off the Qatari government, according to the New York Times. Al Jazeera often has been critical if not misleading in covering the American military presence in Iraq.
The news operation has an audience of between 30 and 50 million people. It also has been the source for broadcasting tapes of Al Qaeda terrorists.
"We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well, said a Qatari government official. The media complex has denied allegations that its immediate coverage of bombing attacks in Iraq indicate it has had advanced knowledge of terrorist activities.
Al Jazeera also reports daily on the Israeli "occupation" of Judea, Samaria and Gaza and generally portrays Israel in a negative light.
Arab countries also have been the target of Al Jazeera criticism, which has angered Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt. Qatar subsidizes the news operation with $40 million annually, one-third of its budget.
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