Al Jazeera Media Network facts for kids
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Native name
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الجزيرة
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Formerly
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Al Jazeera Satellite Network |
| Statutory private foundation for public benefit | |
| Industry | Mass media |
| Founded | 1 November 1996 |
| Founder | Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani |
| Headquarters | Qatar Radio and Television Corporation Complex,
Doha, Ad-Dawhah
,
Qatar
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Cable network programming, direct-broadcast satellite, television, new media, multicultural education |
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Number of employees
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3,000 |
| Subsidiaries | Al Jazeera Arabic Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera Mubasher Al Jazeera Balkans Al Jazeera Türk Al Jazeera Documentary Channel AJ+ Aljazeera.com Al Jazeera Podcasts Rightly Al Jazeera Center for Studies Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival |
Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; Arabic: الجزيرة Al-Jazīrah [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], meaning "The Peninsula") is a big media company based in Doha, Qatar. It gets some funding from the Qatari government but is considered a private company.
Al Jazeera is famous for its news channels, especially Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English. These channels share news from around the world, along with documentaries and talk shows. The network also has digital platforms like AJ+, which creates content for younger audiences online. Al Jazeera broadcasts to over 150 countries and reaches more than 430 million people globally.
The network started as a satellite TV channel for Arabic news. Now, it includes many different platforms, like online news and TV channels in various languages. Al Jazeera has 70 news offices around the world, making it one of the largest news networks globally.
Even though it receives public money from Qatar, Al Jazeera says it's independent. It states that the Qatari government does not control its news reporting. However, some governments have criticized Al Jazeera's coverage. During the Qatar diplomatic crisis, some Arab countries even demanded that Al Jazeera be shut down. Other media groups have supported Al Jazeera's right to report freely.
Contents
The Story of Al Jazeera
How It Started
The first Al Jazeera Satellite Channel began broadcasting on November 1, 1996. This happened after a BBC Arabic TV station, which was partly owned by a Saudi prince, closed down. That BBC channel had closed because the Saudi government tried to stop a documentary about executions.
The leader of Qatar at the time, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, gave Al Jazeera a loan of about $137 million. This money helped the channel get started and run for its first five years.
When it first launched, Al Jazeera broadcast for 6 hours a day. By the end of 1997, it was broadcasting for 12 hours. On January 1, 1999, Al Jazeera started broadcasting 24 hours a day. Its team grew to 500 employees, and it had offices in many places, including Europe and Russia.
Al Jazeera English
After the events of September 11, 2001, many people wanted an English version of Al Jazeera. The network saw this need and started planning an English service.
In 2003, Al Jazeera launched an English website called "Al Jazeera Net." This website aimed to connect with Western audiences. However, soon after it launched, the website faced many cyberattacks. It was even hacked to show an American flag. Because of these attacks, Al Jazeera's web providers canceled their contracts, and the English website was put on hold.
On July 4, 2005, Al Jazeera announced plans for a new English-language TV channel. This channel, called Al Jazeera English, started broadcasting on November 15, 2006. It had broadcast centers in Doha, London, Kuala Lumpur, and Washington D.C. Many experienced journalists from other top news companies joined its team.
At first, it was hard for Al Jazeera English to be shown on cable TV in North America. Some people thought it was too sympathetic to certain groups. But eventually, it was added to some cable systems in the United States.
Al Jazeera in the Balkans
In 2011, Al Jazeera Media Network created Al Jazeera Balkans. This channel broadcasts in Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian languages. It is based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and serves viewers in the Balkans region.
Al Jazeera Turk
In 2011, Al Jazeera bought a Turkish TV channel called Cine5. They planned to launch a Turkish version of Al Jazeera called Al Jazeera Türk.
There were some delays because Al Jazeera refused to call the Kurdistan Workers Party "terrorists," which is common for Turkish news. This caused disagreements. The website for Al Jazeera Türk launched on January 22, 2014, becoming the first 24-hour news operation to start online before broadcasting on TV. However, the TV channel was never fully launched, and the website shut down in 2017.
Al Jazeera America
Al Jazeera America was a special version of Al Jazeera English made for the United States. It launched on August 20, 2013, on cable and satellite TV.
Al Jazeera bought a channel called Current TV to launch Al Jazeera America. Most of its programs were made in the U.S. Even though Current TV was widely available, it didn't have many viewers. Al Jazeera America faced challenges getting carried by some cable companies. On January 13, 2016, Al Jazeera America announced it would close down on April 12, 2016, due to financial reasons.
AJ+
AJ+ is an online-only news channel from Al Jazeera Media Network. It's mainly found on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. AJ+ creates content for online viewing and launched in 2014. It also has Arabic and Spanish versions.
Al Jazeera Sports
In 2004, Al Jazeera started broadcasting sports with Al Jazeera Sports. This included 8 Arabic-language sports channels.
On January 1, 2014, Al Jazeera Sports was renamed beIN Sports. All of Al Jazeera's non-news channels, including sports, were spun off into a new company called beIN Media Group. The money earned from Al Jazeera Sports helped fund the news network when it was operating.
Channels for Kids
On September 9, 2005, Al Jazeera launched a children's channel called Al Jazeera Children's Channel, later known as JeemTV. It was for kids aged 7 to 15 and broadcast 24 hours a day.
On January 16, 2009, Baraem launched for younger children, aged three to seven.
On April 1, 2016, both JeemTV and Baraem were bought by beIN Media Group. After this, they were no longer free to watch and became part of the paid beIN Channels Network.
Other Channels
Al Jazeera Media Network also has other channels. These include Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, which shows documentaries in Arabic. There's also Al Jazeera Mubasher, a live channel that broadcasts conferences and public events in real-time without editing or commentary. It was the first channel of its kind in the Middle East.
How the Network Changed
Al Jazeera reorganized its operations to bring all its different channels under one network. Wadah Khanfar, who was the head of the Arabic Channel, became the Director-General of the entire Al Jazeera Network. He later resigned in 2011.
In 2009, Al Jazeera English was approved to broadcast via satellite in Canada. In 2011, the company's legal status changed from a "public institution" to a "private institution of public utility." This change affected how the network was managed and funded.
Al Jazeera and the Arab Spring
Al Jazeera played a very important role in spreading news about the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011. It covered these events more than any other news outlet.
Al Jazeera was key in sharing news about the protests in Tunisia across the Middle East. People in the Middle East relied heavily on Al Jazeera for news about their regions. Even Hillary Clinton, who was the U.S. Secretary of State at the time, said that Al Jazeera was "literally changing people’s minds and attitudes" and was "really effective."
In Tunisia, the government tried to stop Al Jazeera from reporting. But with the help of Facebook users inside Tunisia, Al Jazeera was able to get reports and videos of protests and government actions. This intense media coverage encouraged more people to join the revolution.
People in other Arab countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria were also inspired to protest against their governments. This was partly because Al Jazeera showed how successful the Tunisian revolt was. Al Jazeera English also reported on human rights abuses by governments, which helped gain international support for the Arab movements.
Channels and Services
Al Jazeera Media Network runs several TV channels and other services.
| Channel | What it's about | When it started |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera Arabic | The main 24-hour news channel in Arabic. | November 1, 1996 |
| Al Jazeera English | A global 24-hour news channel in English. | 2006 |
| Al Jazeera Balkans | A version of Al Jazeera in Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian languages, for the Balkans region. | 2011 |
| Al Jazeera Mubasher | A live channel that broadcasts conferences and public events without editing. | 2005 |
| Al Jazeera Documentary Channel | A channel showing documentaries in Arabic. | 2007 |
| AJ+ | An online news channel that shares different perspectives and news, mainly on social media. | 2014 |
| Al Jazeera Podcasts | A network for podcasts. | 2017 |
| Rightly | An online news channel for American conservatives. | 2021 |
Other Things Al Jazeera Does
Online Presence
The network runs Aljazeera.com, which is the main website for Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Balkans. For its Arabic content, it has Aljazeera.net.
On January 1, 2018, Al Jazeera launched a news website in Mandarin Chinese. This made it the first Middle Eastern news provider to reach Chinese audiences. The team uses Chinese social media like Weibo and WeChat to connect with viewers.
Al Jazeera Podcasts
In 2017, Al Jazeera launched a podcast network, now called Al Jazeera Podcasts. You can find these podcasts on their website and on popular podcast apps like SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher. The network is based in San Francisco and offers podcasts in English.
Rightly
In 2021, Al Jazeera launched Rightly, an online news channel for American conservatives. Like AJ+, it's mainly available on YouTube. Some people questioned if this channel fit with Al Jazeera's goal of being neutral, and if conservatives would watch a channel from Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Al Jazeera Media Network also has a research center called the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, started in 2006. This center studies current events and important developments in the Arab world and nearby regions. It works with many researchers and experts to encourage discussion and understanding between different cultures. The center also includes a media training facility.
Documentary Film Festivals
The Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Doha, Qatar. The first festival was in 2005. Each year, the festival has a different theme.
The Al Jazeera Balkans Documentary Film Festival started in 2018. It's an annual international documentary film festival held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
See Also
- Al Jazeera controversies and criticism
- Al Jazeera effect
- Al Araby (TV channel)
- Middle East Eye
- The New Arab
