There is something very important to be said about competition, especially within the media. With the onslaught of cable and satellite networks in the United States, Americans can easily watch a news story on four or five different channels, to ensure they get a balanced and accurate idea of what …

The 1991 war in Iraq propelled an American satellite channel, known colloquially as the Chicken News Network and by its initials, CNN, into a global news power. In the second  Iraq war, another broadcaster, Al-Jazeera, became famous - or infamous, depending on your point of view. Most Americans know Al-Jazeera for …