Al-Alam News Network

Arabic news channel broadcasting from Iran

Al Alam (العالم) is an Arabic news channel broadcasting from Iran and owned by the state owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). The network's political coverage tends to be the most popular; however, other subjects, such as commentaries, analysis, business and sports also get a share of the audience. Programs are broadcast to over 300 million Arab people around the world, with large audiences in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean regions. The satellite channel can be received on five continents. Al Alam has news bureaus in Tehran, Beirut and Baghdad. Unlike many other channels, it can be viewed in Iraq without the use of a satellite receiver, as it is able to use a terrestrial transmitter close to the Iran Iraq border.

An English language website, known as Alalam News, was launched on August 15, 2006. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, the channel's mission is to "help Iran emerge as the region's top power" by exploting Arab anger toward U. S. foreign policy, emphasizing Arabs and Iranians common Islamic faith, and capitalizing on the rift between Arabs and their governments. During the 2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel al Alam reported with regard to British soldiers’ confessions about the infringement of Iran's maritime sovereignty, Al Alam news channel had an important portion in covering that incident. It was the forerunner in transmitting the soldiers’ confessions, and was the main and prime source for media coverage in this respect.

During the Shiite anti government protests in Bahrain, the Al Alam signal was repeatedly jammed. Allegations all point to the fact that Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah, the Saudi Intelligence Agency, was traced back to for evidence of this crime. The jamming attacks were reportedly caused by installations capable of interfering with Al Alam's frequencies on the Badr satellite from a Saudi transmitter. This act of sabotage and illegal interference with free media has yet to be addressed in an international case.

Al Alam news channel covers all parts of the globe, with the exception of the southern part of African continent, using the following satellites: Hotbird 8, Eutelsat 7 West A and Galaxy 19. It is also broadcast terrestrially on VHF channel E4 from high ground near the Iraqi border.

Due to the fact that the channel has linked with the Islamic Republic, it is accused of being an arming channel/tool for the Iranian Government and its propaganda. Critics in the Arab World consider it to have encouraged Shia extremism in the Arab World.

On June 26, 2008, the United States House of Representatives has proposed to declare Al Alam, the English language Press TV, and several IRIB affiliated channels as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity" sponsored by Florida congressman Gus Bilirakis. The proposed resolution calls the broadcast of 'incitement to violence' against Americans in Middle Eastern media while Bilirakis claimed that as Iranian state run TV channels broadcast 'the coverage of rallies and speeches in which Iranian leaders, clerics, children, and mass audience have declared 'Death to America!' due to broadcasting incitement of violence against Americans. In June 2021, the U. S. government seized the websites of several Iranian state linked news websites including Al Alam's Arabic language channel that were linked to Iranian disinformation efforts.

On June 14, 2009, a Jerusalem court sentenced a correspondent of Al Alam, Khodr Shahine, and his assistant, Mohammed Sarhan, to two months imprisonment for reporting on the Israeli land offensive against the Gaza Strip on January 3 prior to the lifting of Israeli military press censorship.