On The Listening Post this week, Al Jazeera English goes on trial in a uniquely American piece of town hall democracy.

Plus we look at a real journalistic niche: the art of the obituary writer.

Al Jazeera English launched in late 2006 and is the world's first global English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East.

Although the channel has a world wide audience it is still not available on any major cable or satellite networks in the US.

The option to watch Al Jazeera English in the US (aside from on the internet) is currently only available to very limited audiences in Toledo, Ohio and Burlington, Vermont through local cable carriers.

However, Burlington Telecom has now threatened to pull the station and the people of the town are engaged in a public debate that reveals not only some misconceptions and prejudices about the channel, but also challenges the idea of free speech.

In part two, we look at the art of obituary writing.

The BBC's memorial is dedicated to media personnel killed in action [EPA]

There is also the delicate issue of when it is sensible to start writing an obituary since death can take us all by surprise but deadlines are set in stone.

In this week's Newsbytes, China reverts to form on reporting from the earthquake zone, the state broadcaster in Zimbabwe, ZBC, takes suppression of the opposition to a new level with a complete ban of MDC adverts, Euronews gets set to launch an Arabic language version of its news channel, and the BBC unveils a new memorial to media personnel killed in action - a kilometre high light sculpture.

Finally, our Internet Video of the Week comes from Israel with a bizarre musical imagining of what could happen if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions threaten the TV schedules - all out song and dance on the streets of Tehran.

Watch part one of this episode of the Listening Post

Watch part two of this episode of the Listening Post

This episode of The Listening Post aired on Friday, 20 June, 2008