US politicians plan to use a new financial disclosure law aimed at foreign media companies to force more transparency from Al Jazeera and other Qatari outlets.
The law, introduced last year, requires foreign-owned TV stations broadcasting in America to register and file regular reports with the US media regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The reports must include information about financing and operational control exerted by parent companies abroad.
A group of Republican members of Congress have increased pressure on Al Jazeera in the past year over allegations that it spreads terrorist propaganda and promotes the interests of the Qatari government, The Daily Beast reported.
A spokesperson for one of them, Lee Zeldin, said he welcomed any effort to force the channel to reveal details of its relationship with the Qatari government.
“He is supportive of requiring Al Jazeera, for example, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act,” the spokesperson said. FARA, passed in 1938, requires foreign government lobbyists working in the US to disclose details about their operations and backing.
The Republicans hope the new FCC requirements will provide an alternative to the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Read more/Leer más
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario