GOLDEN, Colo.—Interviews from a Colorado saloon and a backyard cookout will be broadcast on Al-Jazeera’s English-language news network during the Democratic convention in nearby Denver.
Al-Jazeera will broadcast from Golden’s celebrated Buffalo Rose bar on Aug. 27, the convention’s third night. The network will interview visitors at City Manager Mike Bestor’s barbecue the next night, when Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech.
“Our objective is to present a slice of mainstream America,” said Julian Ingle, political program editor for al-Jazeera’s Washington bureau.
Golden, population 18,000, is sandwiched between Denver and the mountains. An arch spanning a downtown street says, “Howdy Folks! Welcome to Golden—Where the West Lives.”
“When I saw the archway and the view of the Rockies, I knew Golden was the right place,” Ingle said. “It has a nice feel about it.”
Al-Jazeera is based in Qatar and is funded by the royal family of the Persian Gulf nation. The network says its English service reaches at least 100 million households worldwide. In the U.S., it can be seen on YouTube.com and a handful of cable systems.
The Bush administration has accused al-Jazeer’s Arabic channel of being a mouthpiece for terrorists.
Golden spokeswoman Sabrina D’Agosta acknowledged the network is controversial but said the city wants viewers to see that “regular folks in the United States are great people and we have a lot of diversity in our population and our views.”
Bestor said Golden wants to show the world “that we’re decent, happy people.”
“So we welcome them. They (viewers) can see what life in Golden is all about and maybe they can decide not to hate us.”
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Information from: The Denver Post,
