Satellite Dish

El-Nawawy and Iskandar state that "Al-Jazeera, almost single-handedly, motivated millions of viewers in the Arab world, and in many Western countries, to buy satellite dishes to watch its programming" (46). The satellite dish is a point of access from which ordinary citizens can have the freedom to select which news networks they wish to watch, and it has therefore given Arab viewers the freedom to turn away from the state-run networks which predominate in the Middle East and instead watch Al-Jazeera's different content. The satellite dish is the physical embodiment of the newfound freedom of choice which exists within the Arab world, though this freedom may not be state-sanctioned, so to speak. However, the other side to the satellite dish as a point of access is the fact that this freedom is only accessible to some by nature of its costliness. Without sufficient funds, Arab viewers are...