Al Jazeera was launched as a satellite channel in 1996 to fill the gap left by the closure of the BBC Arabic language television station. Since then, the station has grown into a broadcast powerhouse comprising the original Arabic channel, the international service Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Balkans airing in Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian languages from Sarajevo,, Al Jazeera America (that aired for only three years between 2013 and 2016 until it shut down), Al Jazeera Documentary Channel and Al Jazeera Mubasher, a channel covering live politics similar to C-SPAN in the United States.
Media assets
Television: Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Balkans, Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, AJ+
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Al Jazeera Media Network is organized under the laws of Qatar. According to corporate records filed by Qatari authorities in foreign countries, the network has been fully owned by the ruler of Qatar, Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. The Qatari authorities have tried in recent years to hide the links to the emir, saying that for many years, they have filed wrong information in corporate documents submitted to foreign regulators.
In 2011, it was decreed that Al Jazeera became a “private foundation for public benefit,” which allows the station to receive funding from the Council of Ministers, which nominates the outlet’s top leaders, who the ruler then appoints. The transformation of AJMN into a private foundation for public benefit was characterized as a second launch of Al Jazeera, according to a study published by the AJMN. These nominees are generally people close to Qatar’s ruling family. For example, Al Jazeera’s Board of Directors is chaired by Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family who also holds the position of QMC’s President.
Source of funding and budget
Al Jazeera was launched in 1996 with a loan of QAR 500m (US$ 137m) provided by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, to support the chain’s first five years of operations. The network doesn’t publish financial reports detailing the sources of its funding.
Sources at AJMN and reports from independent media and other independent assessments indicate that the chain is mainly funded through a combination of state allocations, advertising revenues, cable subscription fees, broadcast deals, and the sale of footage. However, the Qatari government accounts for the most significant part of the company’s budget. According to some sources, the Qatari authorities contribute 90% of the station’s budget. In 2024, the network had a staff of 3,700 across the world.
Editorial independence
Despite various internal rules aimed at establishing the network’s editorial objectivity and independence, there is abundant evidence that the editorial line of Al Jazeera is very much influenced by the government. Experts in Doha say that the chain can’t escape what RSF called the “draconian system of censorship” that was instituted in the emirate.
However, the station is also known for its intrepid reporting, especially its content targeting foreign audiences. Thus, regarding international reporting or reporting about the Middle East region for its English station, Al Jazeera is often praised as a “household name.” For example, much of Al Jazeera’s London station’s valiant reporting (sometimes almost aggressive) has often irked Arab governments.
The same policy is not applied when it comes to coverage for the local audiences in Qatar or criticism of Qatar’s ruling elite, which is totally banned on the network: “Al-Jazeera Arabic can be outspoken on subjects deemed as sensitive in the region. However, the Qatari media observe strict self-censorship on domestic coverage and avoid criticizing the state or government. ‘The government, the royal family, and Islam are off limits to reporters,’ says Reporters Without Borders.” There are some examples of critical reporting about the Qatari authorities on Al Jazeera, albeit this only happens on the non-Arabic media outlets of the group.
At the same time, the emir of Qatar frequently uses the broadcaster as a tool to promote the country’s foreign policy objectives.
There is no domestic statute that would establish the independence of Al Jazeera. The station has a set of editorial norms and standards that are supposed to guide the journalists working with the station. While these norms are useful guiding principles for the outlet’s journalists and are sometimes enforced, they do not represent a guarantee of the station’s editorial independence. A 2021 academic paper showed that Al Jazeera Arabic (AJA) has a set of unwritten and implicit guidelines that shape its editorial coverage (by the Qatari government). Al Jazeera English (AJE) has developed its own internal editorial guidelines to ensure its independence.
Al Jazeera has a Quality Assurance Department, the work of which was started in 2004. The department’s tasks are to define standards, monitor output, and ensure that Al Jazeera complies with editorial policies and the high international journalistic standards. Promoted to the rank of Directorate in 2012, the unit investigates matters of accuracy, fairness, balance, and taste in Al Jazeera’s coverage, making recommendations to the station’s management to improve the station’s content. However, that doesn’t fully qualify as a publicly accountable, independent oversight mechanism.
Al Jazeera’s management claims that the station is editorially independent. In a study released on the network’s website, the company states that “from a financial and administrative standpoint,” the broadcaster “was very close to the Qatari government” between its launch in 1996 and until 2011, when the chain changed its status. During that period, the company’s management had to report to the Council of Ministers, an obligation dropped in 2011. Since that year, AJMN only has to report to the organization’s founder.
Based on the evidence so far and given the network’s lack of transparency over its finances, we maintain the AJMN in the State-Controlled category of the State Media Matrix. Our analysis of the broadcaster’s performance is ongoing.
July 2024