ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on the notion of “brinkmanship” as a defining concept for understanding Al Jazeera’s sensational approaches to political debates involving a wide range of personalities appearing on the channel’s weekly show The Opposite Direction. The Opposite Direction is arguably Al Jazeera’s most controversial talk show—a program in which two guests vehemently argue opposite sides of an issue. In The Opposite Direction, Al Kasim seeks to make sure that both guests are always fully engaged in verbal fights with active audience participation. Episodes of The Opposite Direction are rife with examples of Al Kasim’s gatekeeping functions. In The Opposite Direction episode featuring Jon Alterman and Abdul Hamid Qandil, more time was given to the latter while translated statements of the former were frequently disrupted by Al Kasim. The introduction of online polling to evaluate audience views of both sides of the debate seems to have contributed to the process of rising tensions.
