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Posted by Jo Murphy Jul 5, 2008 |
Al Jazeera is the largest and most controversial Arabic News Channel in the Middle East. The channel broadcasts news 24 hours a day from around the world. Founded in 1996, and based in Qatar, it has become the fastest growing news network among Arab communities and Arabic speaking people around the world.
Criticism from varied governments has helped the channel garner credibility from an audience that is used to government-imposed censorship and biased coverage.
Troubled History
After its dissolution in April 1996, Sheik Hamad who was disappointed by the lack of press freedom in the Arab world, pledged to let Al-Jazeera "report the news as they see it." "I believe criticism can be a good thing," the emir said in a 1997 speech, "and some discomfort for government officials is a small price to pay for this new freedom." Allied Media.com
Breaking Barriers
Al Jazeera's now has a team of dedicated journalists. They have a multi-national education and they come from diversified backgrounds. The aim is to present news, which is objective, accurate, and truthful.
Now, Al Jazeera has gone a long way towards breaking down the language barrier by launching an English language Al Jazeera station. The station has a goal of bringing “people and continents together.”
One such story talks about a dance programme in the Phillipines that has radically altered the level of violence experienced by the inmates there.