A Balanced Media

We believe in the power of dialogue and the voice the media represents. We take our role in the landscape very seriously. We do it despite the stereotypes and negative influence of those who continue to craft a biased picture of the Middle East those who often celebrate the antagonists while putting the protagonists in the villain’s role. ALO and very few media in the U.S. attempt to showcase the best of both worlds. But maintaining a balanced position is not an easy task. Western ideals are not being blended with the thousands of years of culture in the Middle East. We are doing our best to further our mission of showcasing a side of the Middle East and its citizens in diaspora that most of the West never sees. Celebrating our diversity and remaining true to our commitment to draw a real image of the culture remains the focus in every issue. However I must admit I feel somewhat trapped in my own world at times. Like many others, sometimes I am reluctant to stay silenced from the political scene, given how misconstrued and mangled the truth can become.

There is a significant constituency in this world that still oozes favoritism toward one culture versus the other and one religion vs. the other because that pleases the people in power and fills deep pockets. It seems that justice no longer exists because the majority rules.

We all want a voice. Middle Easterners in general lack the true voice with the massive campaign of negativity that always surrounds it. And we hope that with every article, we help you experience a different journey; for this is the reason that ALO magazine exists. We tell it the way we see it. Free of bias and challenging those who think of others as insignificant. The truth is that the Middle East can never be ignored. It must be understood. It should never be treated only as a culture of terror because terrorism can come from any religion, government and faction and it does.

Sounding Off

A public survey sounds off on how the mainstream media represents the Middle East and what Middle Easterners need to overcome it.

We’ve recently concluded our first extended public survey since 2010. Putting a finger on the pulse of the customer is always a good idea in business, and our business is no exception. We drafted the questions with the help and input of numerous community leaders, who took advantage of the opportunity to ask some of their most burning questions.

The survey was conducted from June 1 to August 20, 2013, via Survey Monkey and disseminated emailings, and 1,442 people replied to most of the 21 questions. ALO will present the full survey online, but we couldn’t wait to summarize some of the most interesting results.

Responses:

“We do not need to overcome anything. We need to accept the culture here. If we choose to live here, we need to adapt to the culture and not the other way around.”

“I don’t know if Middle Easterners need to overcome negativity or the media does. That’s part of the problem, given that we don’t know if there is another side to the story.”