Dr. Wilner

5/11/18

Al Jazeera is a successful news organization that was started around the time when the BBC world service Saudi based Arabic TV  news station was forced to shut down due to censorship from the Saudi government.  This left a void and allowed a new station, Al Jazeera, to start up.  Since its start in 1996, the news organization has grown.  They went from one channel to ten channels only several years after their launch. They have channels in several different languages.  They even opened up channels in different countries. 
Al Jazeera has a large presence on the internet.  Their website is the principal location for their news and other information to be spread. On their website, they offer varied news and entertainment stories.  Also, they have a live stream for their news, similar to a television broadcast.  

In 2006, Al Jazeera opened up an English news channel. They felt this would help them expand to more viewers around the world.  A few years later, they opened a channel in America.  The channel, however, failed due to low viewership numbers and possibly due to the death of the Arab spring.  In addition they over invested in expensive cable companies.  After about two years on the air, they had to stop broadcasting.  

Al Jazeera’s influence has spread around the world. One place their coverage seems to be lacking is in the country where the a’re based, Qatar.  Throughout their time as a new organization, they have not really focused what was going on in Qatar.  They have been criticized for missing two major stories.  One story was about the fact that the government of Qatar was revoking citizenships of certain people and tribes.  The other story they missed was the story of the new diplomatic relations between Qatar and Israel. 

Al Jazeera has spread all over. One the countries they spread to was Spain.  An Al Jazeera reporter was arrested there on September 5, 2003.  He was arrested with thoughts that he supported Al-Qaeda.  He was released for health reasons and he is still not allowed to leave the country.  His arrest has sparked several movements and websites for his freedom.

Al Jazeera also has spread to Iraq.  In the year 2003, during the war in Iraq,  Al Jazeera was restricted from covering and accessing different areas within the country.  One of the reporters from Al Jazeera was even banned from the country by the Iraqi Information Ministry.  Another reporter was banned from reporting.  These bans were both lifted later in time.  Due to these actions and others, Al Jazeera took out all their reporters from the country.  Also, while having a presence in Iraq, some reporters were accused of being corrupt and that they had to do with propaganda efforts for terrorism.  In 2004, Al Jazeera shut down their offices in Iraq.  They felt that it was projecting a negative image of the country.

Al Jazeera is a very influential international news source.  They have 10 channels in several different languages.  They continue to have a large presence on the internet.  They have helped cover world events from an Arabic standpoint and provide the Arab world with an unbiased news source.  

Dr. Wilner

5/11/18

Al Jazeera is an Arabic global news station.  The station started in 1996.  As time went on, they opened 30 international bureaus employing many correspondents.  The station is uncensored and not run by any government.  Al Jazeera has brought new and independent thought which has allowed for debates and a place for people to speak freely because they are uncensored and not a government news agency. 

They started with a $150,000,000 grant from an emir in Qatar.  The network attempted to become self supporting by 2001. Their plan to do this was by money from advertisements, but the plan ended up failing.  Eventually, they went back to being supported by the same emir.  They also receive income from  advertising, cable subscription fees, broadcasting deals with other companies, and sales of footage. They became widely known after the events of 9/11.  After the attacks, they released footage of Osama bin Laden and other footage from Al-Qaeda. 

Originally, the station hired people from BBC.  Their goal was to counteract the harsh views towards Arabs on the BBC network.  As of 2007, Al Jazeera viewership worldwide is nearly equal to that of BBC, almost 40 to 50 million viewers. The station serves a similar purpose as CNN does in the US and as the BBC does in the UK.

Throughout the years, the station has grown exponentially.  What initially started as a Middle Eastern news station has turned into a worldwide new organization. They have a significant presence on the internet.  They also have created channels in several different languages, including English and Spanish.

Al Jazeera has been a controversial news station.  In the United States, Al Jazeera has been accused of being a propaganda network for terrorist organizations.  Al Jazeera has answered back saying they only show the videos considered propaganda as educational information for their viewers. 

Although Al Jazeera is widely accepted, there are certain countries that are very critical of it.  The two countries that are most outspoken against Al Jazeera are Egypt and Saudi Arabia. They oppose the fact that the news station is not controlled or censored, which allows people to think on their own.  This could lead to individuals opposing the actions of their governments which Egypt and Saudi Arabia consider dangerous.  Over time, Egypt and Saudi Arabia were hoping that the station would move on from a format of call in shows and shows that raise controversy to a less outspoken news network that doesn’t raise threats within their countries.  This has yet not happened, and they continue a similar format. 

From their inception, Al Jazeera has been trying to expand their number of viewers.  They have been working on adding more languages to their news network.  They expanded to several more channels.  They now broadcast into more countries so that even they can have more viewers outside of the country they are based in. 

Al Jazeera is a very successful world news station. They started back in 1996 and have grown since.  They have opened bureaus around the world.  This station is different than most Arabic stations since they are not under the control of a government.

Al Jazeera is a controversial news organization that runs 24 hour news.  The station started back in the year 1995.  It was made in order to fight against the harsh words of BBC.  The station is world wide.  The station is uncensored.

 https://www.aljazeera.com/aboutus/

Al Jazeera was started in 1996. It has grown.  In the year 2006, they added 10 more channels.  Along with this addition, they added more divisions to their network. They broadcast to over 310 million houses in over 100 countries.

Al Jazeera started in 1996. It quickly gained popularity in 2001 after the tragedy of 9/11.  They broadcasted statements by Osama Bin Laden and other messages from Al qaeda.  They began from getting funding by Emir of Qatar. They have stations in different languages.

Al Jazeera started in 1996. The original staff was from BBC. The station is supported by Qatar.  Al Jazeera became widely known in 2001.  The U.S bombed the bureau in Kabul. 

Al Jazeera is the first of its kind in the Arabic world. They are not accepted in Saudi Arabia. They sent reporters to the Israeli Knesset.  

Al Jazeera started in the year in 1996.  In the year 2000, Al Jazeera was televised 24 hours a day in 20 countries.  They did things that are unheard of in the Arabic community. In 2006, they launched an English channel.  In the year 2013 they opened a channel in America.