How Al Jazeera America Tackled the Crisis Over Syria

In its coverage of the Syrian crisis, the fledgling Al Jazeera America cable news channel provided viewers with content that often resembled what Americans saw on other US cable news outlets, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

The showdown over Syria's chemical weapons is the first mega-story to break since Al Jazeera America's much-publicized launch on Aug. 20. One major question was whether the channel-an offshoot of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network-would present news largely through a US perspective or provide an alternative, more global, view of events. The findings in this report suggest that if Syrian coverage is any indication, Al Jazeera America is targeting its programming at the domestic US audience its owner has long tried to reach. The analysis of cable coverage during a crucial week in the Syria story found that in a number of areas-where stories originated, the focus of stories, key messages in stories and the mix of reporting and opinion-Al Jazeera America was largely in sync with its US cable news competitors, most often CNN.