Al-Jazeera:
In April of 1996, it seemed as if international news of the Arab World had suffered a fatal blow as BBC Arabic collapsed with the loss of Saudi investment and cooperation. From this breakdown raised a journalistic phoenix in Doha, Qatar, Al-Jazeera. Translated as “The Peninsula,” Al-Jazeera is a satellite channel established by a decree of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in an attempt to modernize and democratize the nation with a grant equivalent to 140 million US dollars. The station employs over 500 people from around the world in offices in Washington, New York, London, Paris, Moscow, and Islamabad and reaches an estimated 35 million viewers. The new station was given a timetable of five years to emerge from government subsidy and reach independence, and after its rise to prominence in the wake of September 11, it safely accomplished this. The station was the only outlet of foreign journalism in Afghanistan and used this to reach a global audience and financial autonomy. It sold tapes, facilities, and other services to outside sources and has since signed contracts with CNN, ABC News, BBC, and the German channel ZDF.
A great deal of scrutiny was directed towards Al-Jazeera after it released several tapes of Osama bin Laden, including one that was made only weeks after the attack in which bin Laden claims righteousness and satisfaction with the attacks and their results. In response to the release of these tapes and other material that the US government labeled as questionable, Colin Powell and other members of the Bush administration chastised Al-Jazeera and the Qatari government for its support. The US is not the first government to have qualms with the outspoken and independent reporting of Al-Jazeera as many other countries have found reason to criticize the station. Algeria cut power to the capital of Algiers to prevent the showing of a documentary about the country’s civil war and Kuwait barred reporting from its country because of a caller who criticized the Kuwaiti government on one of Al-Jazeera’s shows. The Palestinians also disagreed with some of Al-Jazeera’s tactics as they shut down the Ramallah office after a documentary aired that portrayed Arafat in a less than complimentary light. Several international sources have said that Al-Jazeera’s reporting is sensationalized, unprofessional, and laced with anti-American themes, but many more have praised Al-Jazeera for its independent voice in the Arab world.
Al-Jazeera is a revolutionary force in the Arab world, but is a fledgling in an ancient society. Its influence is tangible and constantly increasing and one that will be felt for many years to come. Despite is criticism; Al-Jazeera does a service to both Arabs and to the global community through independent and exclusive reporting. Its voice liberates some and educates many, and it is a great attribute to world journalism.
Sources
Campagna, Joel. "Between Two Worlds: Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite channel faces conflicting expectations." CPJ Briefings, Oct, 2001. http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2001/aljazeera_oct01/aljazeera_oct01.html
Gambill, Gary C. "Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV: The Power of Free Speech." Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, Vol. 2 No. 5, June 1, 2000. http://www.meib.org/articles/0006_me2.htm
Lidster Suzanne and Mike Rose. "Al-Jazeera Goes it Alone." BBC News, Oct 8, 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/monitoring/media_reports/newsid_1579000/1579929.stm
Zedni, Rick.
"Perspectives on War: Inside Al Jazeera." Columbia Journalism Review,
March/April 2002. http://www.cjr.org/year/02/2/zednik.asp