Thaindian News

The channel “Al Hurra”, on which $650 million of the U.S taxpayer’s money has been spent, is watched only in Iraq and viewership is negligible in other parts of the region. The popular American shows, on the other hand, have generated among the Saudis a genuine interest about the culture of United States, and now a large number of them are enthusiastic about pursuing education in the U.S. The Saudi government controls the media with a strict hand, but it has allowed these American Shows to air on channels with Arabic subtitles, as a measure to tackle the extremism. The Saudis regarded George Clooney’s film “Michael Clayton”, as a heroic example of honesty. All this basically boils down to the fact that considering the success of popular television shows, the channel “Al Hurra”, funded by the taxpayer’s money, can be termed as a gigantic failure.

–Sampurn Wire