Page 38 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

Al-Jazeera | 1

al-Jazeera international
As part of its plans for international expansion and global reach, Al-Jazeera launched its
English-language network, called Al-Jazeera International (AJI), on November 15, 2006. The
new network, which was launched after prolonged delays and months of preparation be-
cause of technical and political problems, has offices in Washington, DC; London; Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia; and Doha, Qatar.
The new network, which is also funded by the Qatari emir, appeals to the Western audi-
ence as well as the non-Arabic-speaking Muslim populations in countries such as Indonesia
and Bangladesh. It has employed several high-profile Western journalists, including British
talk host and interviewer David Frost, former “Nightline” correspondent Dave Marash, and
Josh Rushing, the ex-Marine best known for his lead role in the critically acclaimed 2004
documentary about Al-Jazeera called Control Room.
A pressing question regarding Al-Jazeera International is: What kind of identity and mar-
ket niche will the new network establish for itself? “From its onset, [AJI has tried to] act as
a counterbalance to the Western-centric reporting of the established [Western] channels”
by marketing itself as “the voice of the South.” AJI “opened with an in-depth review of the
humanitarian crisis in Gaza, followed by another on Darfur. Reports on Iran and Zimbabwe
followed with African and Arab issues dominating the agenda” (Nkrumah 2006).

Al-Jazeera houses a staff of more than 400 journalists and 50 foreign correspon-
dents working in 31 countries. More importantly, Al-Jazeera has created a niche
for itself by identifying a market demand for serious and independent journal-
ism, with content mostly dedicated to political matters that are of key concern
to the Arab people.

aL-JazEEra Programs: a BrEaTh oF FrEsh air
in a PoLiTiCaLLy rEsTriCTivE EnvironmEnT
Al-Jazeera has revolutionized the Arab media scene by airing what no other
Arab news organization dared to: the hard, often harsh truth of Arab life, culture,
and politics. It has posed the first serious challenge to the censorial culture of
political and media restraint in the Arab world. The network’s shockingly open
and passionate political talk shows tackle sensitive issues that have always been
considered “taboo” by Arab standards, like sex, polygamy, apostasy in Islam,
banned political groups, torture, and corruption of Arab officials. Many of these
shows take a news approach that allows for presenting “clashing perspectives”
of political opponents. Such an approach “was not only an innovation on Arab
television but was also unfamiliar in a region where the voice of authority is
rarely challenged openly, whether at school or university, within families or at
work” (Sakr 2004, p. 157).
Al-Jazeera’s talk shows, such as More than One Opinion, Open Dialogue, and
Without Borders, open the floor for free and open debates and heated discus-
sions that are aired live, with no room for editing on the part of Al-Jazeera staff.