Control Room

353 votes and 2 Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes® Score
96% 87%

Release Date: July 16, 2004

On DVD/VOD: November 2, 2004

1h 24m | Documentary

Control Room provides an opportunity to re-examine what is perhaps the most pressing question of international relations today: "is America radicalizing or stabilizing the Arab world?" Without miring itself in shadowy conspiracy theories, the film provides a balanced view of Al Jazeera's presentation of the second Iraq war to their worldwide Arab audience, and in doing so calls into question many of the prevailing images and positions offered up by the U.S. news media. Control Room's view inside Al Jazeera -- a network branded "Osama Bin-Laden's mouthpiece" and subject of intense criticism from U.S. administration officials for showing images of Iraqi casualties and American POWs that American viewers never saw -- suggests that its views on news reportage might actually be more in tune with democratic ideals than those of it's Western counterparts.