Today’s Washington Post Outlook section carries a piece by Joanne Levine, executive producer of programming for the Americas at al-Jazeera International, defending the Arabic-language network’s efforts to broadcast in America.

It’s quite curious why al-Jazeera, which has a worldwide brand ID ranking near the top and a stunningly huge audience, would need to produce such a defensive piece. Even more curious for the article’s shortcomings.

For instance, Levine painstakingly calls al-Jazeera a “pioneer of news independence” and an “independent voice.” That’s quite a stretch for a network that owes its existence to the ruling prince of Qatar. Levine says the network is “based” in Qatar. Oh, but the relationship is much more than that. It’s a relationship predicated on funding, not just geography.

Levine also goes to great lengths to argue that al-Jazeera “has a tradition of showing both sides.” Sorry – but we don’t give merit badges for that anymore. Even the junkiest of supermarket tabloids show both sides. That’s hardly a standard worth aspiring to.

Levine writes, “most people in this country have never watched al-Jazeera.” I have. Before I joined New Media Strategies, it used to be part of my job, when I worked for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. government agency that runs America’s international broadcasting efforts.

What did I see? Constant victim-based images that peddled on what America was doing to Iraqis and what Israel was doing to Palestinians. I saw program after program, promo after promo, feeding into the notion that Arabs are being routinely victimized by the rest of the world, catering to an overwhelmingly anti-American audience.

Sometimes the approach is quite subtle — hidden behind the cloak of “showing both sides.”

For instance, at the same time in early 2005 that the Senate was holding confirmation hearings for Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, al-Jazeera was airing a documentary re-enactment of Abu Gharib.

And how did al-Jazeera mark the most recent anniversary of 9/11? The network showed the Michael Moore film “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

Levine throws out the red herring point that she is Jewish — “some people ask me how a Jew can work for al-Jazeera.” So what? Maybe she can do good by reforming the network from within. Likewise, the fact is, American officials should appear on the network (and on all networks which broadcast to the Middle East.) Al-Jazeera’s audience reach is too mighty to be ignored.

Just don’t peddle it as a force for good in the Arabic-speaking world or in America. It’s hardly that.