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Tag: Al Jazeera

  • Peyton Manning Vehemently Denies Al Jazeera Report That Says He Used Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Intern Admits Story Was Fabricated

    Peyton Manning is pissed. The NFL player vehemently denies claims on behalf of an Al Jazeera report that states he used performance-enhancing drugs.

    The report about Peyton Manning was allegedly based on recordings made by a former intern at an Indianapolis anti-aging institute. The intern reportedly now admits to fabricating the allegations.

    On Sunday, Peyton Manning spoke to ESPN, expressing his anger, not only because the purported allegations targeted him, but because they also targeted his wife Ashley, too. The allegations said the drugs were sent via Manning’s wife.

    “I can’t speak for any other athlete. I know what I’ve done, I know how hard I’ve worked in my 18 years of playing in the NFL. There are no shortcuts in the NFL. I’ve done it the long way, I’ve done it the hard way. And to insinuate anything otherwise is a complete and total joke, it’s defamation and it really ticks me off,” Peyton Manning told ESPN.

    Both the Broncos and the Colts issued statements on Sunday morning on Peyton Manning’s behalf.

    “Knowing Peyton Manning and everything he stands for, the Denver Broncos support him 100 percent,” the team said. “These are false claims made to Al Jazeera, and we don’t believe the report.”

    The Colts called the report “utterly ridiculous.”

    “We are thoroughly familiar with Peyton’s tireless work habits, his medical history, and, most importantly, his integrity,” the Colts said.

    “We also note that the ‘source’ of this allegation has since recanted his story.”

    The Al Jazeera report said Peyton Manning received HGH from the Indianapolis anti-aging clinic in 2011 while he was playing for the Colts. It said the drug was delivered to his wife so Manning’s name wasn’t associated with the shipments.

    In addition to Peyton Manning, the Al Jazeera report also accused other athletes of obtaining performance-enhancing drugs.

    Did you doubt Peyton Manning’s integrity–even if only for a moment or two–when this false report came out?

  • Al-Jazeera Sentencing: British Ambassador In Hot Water Over Comments

    Al-Jazeera journalists Canadian Mohammed Fahmy, Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohammed were sentenced to at least three years in prison on Saturday in a case that has been labeled everything from “disgraceful” to “farcical” by media organizations.

    The three employees of Al-Jazeera English were arrested and charged back in 2013 with aiding former President Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news.

    The arrests of the Al-Jazeera reporters came from the backlash following the coup by Egyptian military that unseated Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

    After the sentencing of the Al-Jazeera journalists, many countries made statements through ambassadors and other officials to many international news organizations condemning the sentence as political and unfair.

    However, British Ambassador John Casson seems to have crossed a line by speaking in Arabic directly to Egyptian local media.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzCquCFJmPw

    John Casson’s statement on the sentencing of the Al-Jazeera English journalist included the fact that he was “shocked and concerned by the sentences.”

    He also insisted that the case was of “profound interest to Egyptians because it has become a symbol of the basis for stability in the new Egypt.”

    He added, “I am concerned that today’s ruling will undermine confidence in the basis of Egypt’s stability, both in Egypt and abroad.”

    While the appeal for a presidential pardon by human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Canadian Ambassador Troy Lulashnyk will now be underway, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has summoned John Casson to appear and answer for his statements.

    The Foreign Ministry said that his comments were “unacceptable interference” in the country’s judicial process, and “incompatible with diplomatic norms and practices.”

    The three Al-Jazeera journalists will now wait and hope for the appeal to be a success, but in the mean time, British Ambassador John Casson must face a judicial system which is clearly playing a political game.

    What do you think will happen?

  • Can 3D Printers And Strict Gun Regulation Coexist?

    3D printed guns are creating quite a bit of controversy in the U.S. Proponents say having access to 3D printed gun parts preserves freedom in the face of regulation, while opponents say it will only make it easier for people to sneak guns into gun-free zones. What about other countries though? What’s their take on 3D printed firearms?

    A recent report from Al Jazeera UK looked into the matter of 3D printed firearms, and how the easy availability of parts over the Internet may undermine current gun regulation.

    This report, much like a previous BBC piece on 3D printing, misses a key fact that was omitted either out of ignorance or in the name of creating a sensational story. Defense Distributed has not made a 3D printed gun. They have made a 3D printed AR lower. Those wanting to build a gun would still need the other heavily regulated parts.

    That being said, the central question of the report is still worth asking. How do 3D printers fit into the overall discussion on gun control and regulation? It’s especially important in countries where guns are far more regulated.

    It would be unfortunate if any of these countries passed knee-jerk reaction legislation banning certain 3D printers over a fear that the technology may one day produce a fully 3D printed gun. It’s incredibly short-sighted, and ignores the wide array of benefits that 3D printing brings to the fields of medicine and manufacturing.

    [h/t: Fabbaloo]

  • Al-Jazeera, Social Media, & The Next Generation Of News

    Al-Jazeera, Social Media, & The Next Generation Of News

    Al-Jazeera’s seen how social media is changing the way the wind blows, so the news organization shifted its sails accordingly and now finds itself on the front lines of the next generation of news reporting. Twitter, Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Reddit, Storify – no social network outlet is too small for Al-Jazeera’s “social media-centric” show, The Stream. By relying primarily on social media, much like all people these days appear to lean, The Stream has molded a new style of crowd-sourced journalism capable of catching stories and breaking news before any of the established giants of the mainstream news.

    ReadWriteWeb has a great profile on the upstart news program that details how its “social TV” innovation aims to turn the world of news reporting on its ear. Honestly, there’s a refreshing, almost underground appeal to the way The Stream operates and part of that is the devil-may-care reliance on the same technology that everybody else uses. As anybody who is familiar with YouTube or Twitter, as you live by those types of services so then can you die by those types of services. Still, even though there’s the ever-present threat of a video not loading or someone’s Skype connection getting dropped, those sorts of miscues add a touch of charm to the show.

    The Stream isn’t using social media in the same way that most other news outlets use it, which is to say that The Stream isn’t a part of the SEO journalism rat race. Their reporting is more deliberate, less focused on getting the scoop (although being deeply embedded in the world of social media certainly helps with breaking stories: The Stream was the first news program to pick up the source that live-tweeted the SEAL Team 6 Raid of Osama bin Laden’s hideout) and more on elevating stories that might not be picked up by other organizations until after it’s gathered some steam or gone viral.

    One example of how The Stream checks the pulse of the world via social media can be seen with its coverage of yesterday’s worldwide organized protests in support of International Women’s Day. By using amateur YouTube videos, tweets, and photos uploaded to blogs, The Stream captured the sentiment of protests from Canada to Fiji that largely effaced the flowery, passive impression of the day that you might get from a more mainstream source, say, a Google Doodle.

    Like anything that takes root in social media, The Stream‘s new model of reporting the news certainly stands to go viral. Do you think that crowd-sourced journalism like what The Stream is doing really will change the way news is brought to the public? Share your thoughts below in the comments.

  • Gaddafi Capture Video Released by Al Jazeera

    As the world reacts to the now-confirmed death of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Al Jazeera has released video of the fallen “leader’s” capture, and judging by the images contained within the video, it appears as if the fallen tyrant was dead, or, at least, awfully close to his deathbed, when he was captured.

    To many, this is a fitting end to his miserable existence, one that oversaw numerous crimes against humanity, aimed directly at the citizens he was supposed to govern. Apparently, massacring those who disagree with you fit his definition of effective government. And now, Gaddafi has paid the price for his tyranny.

    As is the case in today’s always-connected world, Gaddafi’s take down was vividly captured on video and released for the world to see.

  • Celebrations Begin As News Of Gaddafi’s Fate Spreads

    While confirmation of the death of Muammar Gaddafi is still pending, there’s no denying he was at least captured and perhaps mortally wounded in the process. The reports of his capture have been confirmed across numerous news outlets, however, his death has not — at this point and time — been officially confirmed as government and media officials are waiting for concrete evidence of his removal.

    To further this point, CNN is updating their article page on a live basis, and their latest update, with a time stamp from a few minutes:

    [Update 8:56 a.m. ET] Mahmoud Shamman, Libya’s information minister, tells CNN that a press conference will be happening soon about the alleged death of Gadhafi. Shamman said Gadhafi is dead and that is “a great victory” for the Libyan people. CNN’s Dan Rivers spoke to him in Tripoli where crowds are cheering, shooting guns in a celebratory way and honking their horns.

    The celebration Rivers speaks of is making its way to YouTube as the citizens who were previously under Gaddafi’s tyrannical rule took to the streets in exaltation, happy to be rid of their despotic leader:

    These citizens are also celebrating the capture of Gaddafi’s son, Mo’tassim, which occurred before his father’s downfall.


    Al Jazeera’s YouTube channel has some compelling content concerning the perspective of the rebels who were fighting against Gaddafi’s regime, as well as a live feed where Gaddafi’s fate is being discussed. It’s incredibly compelling stuff, all the way around.


    I would also encourage you to check out their live feed, which is provided on Al Jazeera’s YouTube channel.