CNN anchor Riz Khan has taken a position with JihadTV: Why I’m Joining Al Jazeera. (Hat tip: rick.)

I’m fully aware of the negative image of the Al Jazeera brand in the U.S., especially at the government level, but I think part of that comes from a misunderstanding of the strong cultural position the Arabic-language channel has among the average people of the Middle East. It is extremely popular for being outspoken not only about the West but also about Arab governments.

Until now, U.S. administration-led efforts to promote a positive image of Americans to people in the Middle East appear to have failed miserably. A media push out of Washington into the region doesn’t resonate well with those actually in the thick of things across the other side of the world. Al Jazeera International plans to be an open platform for global debate and dialogue. It will effectively become the best conduit the U.S. has to speak to the Arab world, and vice versa. Plus, the debate will be free and open.

I’m now coming across people in the American government who are recognizing the value of this two-way conduit approach, and are seeing that engagement with the new channel would be more positive than confrontation. On top of that, it has to be pointed out that the Al Jazeera International team of experienced, highly respected and committed journalists is diverse — with no specific agenda except to report the news courageously with facts and figures... to bring the pieces together to give a complete picture. The whole story.