Al Jazeera America has released a controversial TV ad touting its coverage of the explosive Israel-Palestinian battle.
The ad shows the network’s journalists reporting at the site of a school — likely the UN shelter that was shelled — as rockets go off in the background.
“This was a school, and the blackboard still has a lesson plan on it,” says one reporter in the 30-second spot. In another shot, there’s a clip of a reporter saying “rockets fired towards Israel.”
According to the news outlet, the network was among the first with on-the-ground reporters from both sides of the conflict.
The ads can be seen on 18 different networks on Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOs systems. They include Fox News, CNN, CNBC and MSNBC.
The ad was created internally by Al Jazeera America staff and marks the first time the news network has centered a marketing campaign around a single news event, the network told The Post.
Al Jazeera is funded by the government of Qatar and has separate feeds around the globe. The US network got off the ground last August, but has had little traction. The current conflict, however, has been drawing viewers to its coverage.
The conflict has created strong divisions in the entertainment industry and on Monday Relativity Media’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh sounded off in The Hollywood Reporter about his strong views on the conflict.
Kavanaugh said a letter sent by Spanish filmmakers and signed by actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz made his “blood boil.”
The letter urged the European Union to condemn the bombing of Palestinian civilians and described Israel’s actions as “genocide.” Kavanaugh said he was mad that few in Hollywood had spoken against the letter.