"Based primarily on the content analysis, with secondary reinforcement from the discussion group proceedings, the research team sees the principal issues affecting Alhurra as being those related to the fundamentals of journalism, not the exigencies of politics. This is not an esoteric matter related ... to an idealized journalism, but rather goes directly to the issue of Alhurra's fulfillment of its legislative mandate and its responsibilities deriving from the Middle East Broadcast Network Journalistic Code of Ethics. Section 303 of the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (as amended) calls for, among other provisions, United States international broadcasting to “be conducted in accordance with the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism” and “to be designed so as to effectively reach a significant audience.” These broad requirements coincide with the more specific standards prescribed by the MBN code of ethics. Within this framework, the challenges facing Alhurra as it seeks to attain excellence in carrying out its mandate are those that must be addressed by all news organizations: Ensuring comprehensiveness of coverage; providing the breadth that the audience expects; • Imposing discipline in producing the news product to protect against personal and institutional biases that can infect a news product; • Offering diverse viewpoints about important issues from sources whose backgrounds and expertise contribute to a balanced news product; • Avoiding rumor and other unsubstantiated material; • Thoughtfully and thoroughly addressing the topics of greatest interest to the target audience, such as religion and local democratization efforts. Add to these Alhurra's additional duty to reflect and promote U.S. policies and it is clear that the task for this news organization is exceptionally difficult. For each of these duties, our diagnosis is that Alhurra is not performing at the level that it needs to reach to be successful. To fulfill Alhurra's mission requires being able to compete effectively in the Arab news marketplace. That will require expanded and more proficient coverage, and to reach this higher level will necessitate a significant budget expansion to enable broader reporting and more professional management. It will also require grappling with political issues involving journalistic independence and the realities of establishing the credibility needed to gain and keep an Arab audience." (Executive summary) more

"Newsroom managers throughout the Middle East recognize the need for improved standards among the region’s journalists, and training programs are proliferating. It’s no surprise that reporters in places like Iraq need to learn the most basic skills of the craft. But in the rich oil states of the ... Gulf the sheer diversity of newsrooms, where as many as a dozen nationalities work together, can pose problems as different journalistic cultures clash. All this has turned media training into a large and growing business, with governments and foundations underwriting training work carried out by NGOs, as well as by some of the media industry’s biggest names. Some, however, question the utility of it all. By some estimates as much as $30 million was spent on media training in the Balkans and, by some accounts, things are worse now than they were before the well-meaning Westerners arrived. Moreover, the training environment in the Middle East now involves many of those same players. So in the Middle East, it needs to be asked when the money is spent, what the trainees really will take back to their newsrooms." (Summary) more