Interview With US Central Command's Media Engagement Team in Dubai

US Navy Captain Frank Pascual and US Army Captain Eric Clark run the US Central Command's Media Engagement Team in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates. As such, they are the chief United States military spokespeople dealing with more than 1500 Arab news media representatives. Pascual and Clark spoke with Keith Porter and Kristin McHugh in Dubai in December 2005 for the Stanley Foundation's public radio documentary "24/7: The Rise and Influence of Arab Media."

Captain Frank Pascual: It's important that we do this type of outreach so that Arabic media understands what US policies are all about. In addition to that, it gives us the opportunity to listen more to them and to bring that back with us. We also bring in senior general and flag officers to do media engagements, to talk more directly about operational things and other [things] that they can discuss. And that gives Arabic media a deeper reach into US Central Command, to get much more information and more depth.

In addition to that, we also do some trips. Periodically, we will take news media out to places. For example, we took them out on ships to visit the North Arabian Gulf, to take a look at the security that we're providing out there for the Gulf oil platforms. So, it's a multifaceted program. We've been here for a little over four months, and we're making tremendous inroads.

One of the things that we find that I think is very important in Arab news media—in approaching them—is a little different than US media. We usually simply provide information, and then you're as good as the last bit of information you provided. Here, it's a little deeper than that. In addition to overcoming some of the misapprehensions that exist culturally and in terms of language as well, you also have to extend a personal relationship and so you become, quite frankly, friends as well as professional contacts. And that's something that is very interesting. And quite frankly, it's been an enormous source of inspiration in terms of dealing with the challenge.

Captain Eric Clark: I think quite frankly the essence of our role here in the region is not only to respond to media queries but also be a bridge. Essentially bridge a divide that separates us culturally, socially, economically, religiously—from Americans to Pan-Arab community members. So we're not only providing on-the-record as well as off-the-record comments to Pan-Arab media. We're also providing a bridge. We serve as unofficial ambassadors for America, both here in the Pan-Arab community as well as when we go back home. So a key part of what we do is bridging the gap.

Q: Captain Clark, you've been here for a while. How has the news atmosphere changed over the course of the time that you've been involved in the region?

Clark: Well it's amazing just to watch the media growth. The number of media outlets has grown exponentially. There's upwards of 200 satellites TV networks now. Day in and day out we're seeing more newspapers, magazines, radio networks—television networks emerging and with that, of course, we have the CNN factor of 24/7 news. Then we have the Al Jazeera perspective and the Al Jazeera phenomenon of, you know, an ideology-driven TV network. So now we're getting a very, very balanced mix. We're finding there are outlets that are more moderate in their voice, some that are more conservative, but others also radical. So we're seeing a full spectrum of media that we're dealing with, day in and day out.

Q: Captain Clark used the term ideologically driven news outlet. Is that the way you'd described Al Jazeera?

Pascual: Well, I would. I think that it's a fair statement to call them ideologically driven. But when I look at the spectrum of Arabic media, it comes as quite a surprise—and I think probably to a lot of people who first encounter it—that there's a tremendous diversity. Probably back in the US most people would think it is all ideologically driven, and there are sometimes when you see that in particular, either reporters or certain institutions—certain organizations, rather. But what we have found is there's a tremendous diversity of outlook and opinion and editorial policy and so forth, here. There are stations or cable networks that are, for example, very, very favorable to US participation and US policy in Iraq and in the Middle East generally. And there are others who will use the word occupation and look at it far less benignly. And yet there is quite a spectrum. So as a result, it's not as monolithic as people might think, and it's also not as one-sided as people might think.

Q: When you look at Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera, do you see them following Western standards or what we might think of as Western standards of professionalism and objectivity?

Pascual: I think we're starting to see that. In a lot of the organizations that we've met with, they do come with some baggage—some ideological baggage. Some of them will tell you right upfront what they're point of view is. Others will let you argue the point of view, and they remain open-minded about it. I would say it's early, yet, out here. A lot of these media are new and as a result they're forming their own opinions. They're forming their own professional ethics within the guidelines of what most journalists think. One of the things that's impressed us is the sincerity of pretty much everybody we've met. And so no matter what the discussion is we might have on whatever the topic of the day would be, we find that those are very important issues and they deal with them and I think part of our presence here is to help open that up.

Q: It's interesting to hear what you say about the sincerity of the people because that's what we found as well. In fact, most of the people we talked to at both of those networks held up CNN and BBC as their models. These are the things that they've seen, they want to be like that—those are the standards they want to follow. Many of them have been trained—if not in American places, they've certainly been trained by the BBC or have a BBC background. So they do understand the basic professionalism and the ethical standards that we would apply.

Clark: I completely agree. I think one of the interesting things to see is that if you take a look at the demographic breakdown of a Pan-Arab press, they do have a Western influence. They worked for CNN or BBC. They worked for print outlets. The other interesting thing is they go to school in America—they go to journalism schools across America. They emulate Western press. They emulate the journalism programs there—so they bring those skill sets back to the Pan-Arab community and put that across in their coverage and their approach, their professionalism. In the past year and a half, we've seen Al Jazeera, of all networks, come about with a code of ethics.

Q: One analyst I was reading—it was in a foreign policy journal—called Al Jazeera the most important nonstate actor in the region. Would you agree with that?

Clark: There's no question Al Jazeera added another dynamic to Pan-Arab media. There's no question that they put Pan-Arab media on the map. But now you have Al Arabiya, you have other preeminent news organizations rising to the top to compete against Al Jazeera. And quite frankly what we're seeing is a growing momentum for the moderately voiced news media organizations, including Al Arabiya, which is a very moderate voice in the Pan-Arab community. That moderate voice is resonating with the leaders of this region, the people of this region. And the likes of Al Jazeera that propagate extremist viewpoints or ideologies—they're going to be pushed to the side. And I think Al Jazeera is quickly realizing that, and that's why I think they're putting a lot at stake with Al Jazeera International, to bring a more moderate voice, a moderate perspective of their coverage.

Q: There was a news report that said the Pentagon contracted with the group, I think it was the Rendon Group, to track the location and use of Al Jazeera news bureaus and reporters regionally and globally. You've heard this report? Do you have any comment on it?

Pascual: This is first I've heard, so I don't—yeah, I've not heard that.

Clark: Well, there's no question that we track Al Jazeera coverage. We do editorial content analysis of Al Jazeera on a daily basis. We use that to counter their lies and propaganda or a simple misreport, so we use that as a tool to engage them. We track where their bureaus are because that's how we engage with them. If they have a new bureau in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, or a new bureau in Beirut, we want to know that so we can know who to call. But in terms of tracking correspondents, that's a new report to me as well.

Q: Okay. Along those same lines, as you can imagine when we were in Doha, Qatar [Al Jazeera's headquarters], we had a lot of questions about the "Bush-Blair memo" [which allegedly refers to a remark from President Bush about bombing Al Jazeera headquarters]. [Do] you have anything to say about that?

Pascual: The only thing I can do is just echo what the White House said. They called it preposterous.

Clark: Qatar, quite frankly, is one of our best friends in the region, they're a strategic ally. We have Camp Basalia, which is the headquarters for US Central Command for Contingency Headquarters. We have an air base in Qatar, which has been extremely important, strategically, for us. We would do nothing to jeopardize our friendship with Qatar.

Q: The Emir of Qatar is one of the strongest allies we have in the region. How is it that we can be very critical of Al Jazeera? I mean, he's the patron of Al Jazeera and he's our ally. Help me understand this.

Clark: I think the interesting thing is to look at Al Jazeera, the history of Al Jazeera, and the development of their coverage. They used to be, many people dubbed, the Al Qaeda network of choice. There was a pro stance. They would show videos, they'd show beheadings, they'd show horrific things that were videotaped by Al Qaeda and fed to Al Jazeera. And there's a reason why Al Qaeda fed these things to Al Jazeera—they knew Al Jazeera would run them, initially, in total.

So now, Al Jazeera has recanted—they've come back, they're now getting rid of some of the natural sound. They're now editing it. Sometimes they don't necessarily say "broadcast the tape," but they'll describe what's on that tape. So there are a number of things that Al Jazeera is learning as they're maturing. And quite frankly, Al Jazeera was a very young, almost an infantile network, and they've learned and they've grown. They've instilled this code of ethics. They have a new way of approaching Al Qaeda video. They no longer show beheadings and things that would turn the stomachs of a normal person on the street of the Pan-Arab community or America or Europe. So there are a number of things that we're seeing in terms of Al Jazeera reacting to the marketplace and reacting to their viewership.

Q: Given all that, today is Al Jazeera part of the problem or part of the solution in the Middle East?

Pascual: Well, I think that'll be up to them. There are some positive signs, but I think there's a long way to go yet. What I think is more important in Arab media, overwhelmingly, is that it is proliferating throughout the region. That people are very sincere in the journalistic profession here. I find their sincerity and, in many respects, their professionalism is second to none of [the] people that I've dealt with all over Europe, and the Far East, US, and elsewhere. So when I look at that, it's something I think is very, very hopeful. I think it's important that people who tune in to Arabic news media understand what's happening, understand what people are doing. And I think it's the role of Arabic news media to continue on the road to professionalism, which many of them have already achieved in spades.

"24/7: The Rise and Influence of Arab Media" is a Stanley Foundation production in association with KQED Public Radio. The documentary is produced by Simon Marks, Keith Porter, and Kristin McHugh. The full program includes segments on Arab broadcast media, the regional perspectives on the rise of Arab media, Washington perspectives on the shifting Arab media landscape, and an essay by David Brancaccio on the influence of satellite television on Arab society. Exclusive interviews with Al Jazeera senior anchor Jamil Azar, US Central Command's Media Engagement Team, senior CNN correspondent Jane Arraf, and Professor Ramez Maluf of the Lebanese American University are also available.