Writing at CJR Daily, Lawrence Pintak thinks Al Jazeera English is beginning to find its footing. He cites coverage of Lebanese opposition leader Pierre Gemayel's assassination as an example. The breaking news coverage wasn't outstanding, "but it was in the analysis and depth of coverage that AJE finally began to distinguish itself."

He says the biggest difference between AJE and its competitors came as the funeral for Gemayel ended. "It was here that Jazeera's home court advantage came into play."

"Both BBC World and CNN International (a completely separate channel from the CNN domestic U.S. service) quickly switched away to other programming." But "AJE stayed with Lebanon, interviewing a Hezbollah spokesman, a perspective not heard on the other channels -- one in a comprehensive series of interviews with the key players in the drama not seen elsewhere. AJE's Lebanon specialist Omar al-Jassawi dug deeper into the impact on the country and region as a whole, while Middle East analyst Lamis Andoni noted that although Syria is widely presumed responsible for Gemayel's death, plenty of other players in the region had reason to want him dead." More...