The Middle East – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera: The Doha-based Pan-Arab news channel. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

Al Jazeera is the Qatar-based satellite news channel. It’s the largest provider of news in the Arabic world, being launched in 1996. It also has its very own English version of the news channel, plus a website – a first for the Middle East. It has seen a significant rise in prominence post-9/11, and has been highly controversial:

This Arab news channel is often portrayed in the West as a purveyor of anti-American bile that incites violence in Iraq, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

It has also been widely used to air terrorist rhetoric, particularly with Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. For the Middle East this was groundbreaking. This type of free, independent media in a relatively conservative corner of the globe was something that hadn’t been seen before. Media restriction in powerful Middle Eastern states is still prevalent: Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria to name but a few.

It is a phenomenon in the Arab world, a comparatively free, bold initiative in journalism.

Osama bin Laden broadcasting one of many messages through Al Jazeera

So what values, if any, does the news channel adhere to? Al Jazeera does in fact have in place a Code of Ethics.

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1. Adhere to the journalistic values of honesty, courage, fairness, balance, independence, credibility and diversity, giving no priority to commercial or political considerations over professional ones.

2. Endeavour to get to the truth and declare it in our dispatches, programmes and news bulletins unequivocally in a manner which leaves no doubt about its validity and accuracy.

3. Treat our audiences with due respect and address every issue or story with due attention to present a clear, factual and accurate picture while giving full consideration to the feelings of victims of crime, war, persecution and disaster, their relatives and our viewers, and to individual privacy and public decorum.

4. Welcome fair and honest media competition without allowing it to affect adversely our standards of performance so that getting a “scoop” will not become an end in itself.

5. Present diverse points of view and opinions without bias or partiality.

6. Recognise diversity in human societies with all their races, cultures and beliefs and their values and intrinsic individualities in order to present unbiased and faithful reflection of them.

7. Acknowledge a mistake when it occurs, promptly correct it and ensure it does not recur.

8. Observe transparency in dealing with news and news sources while adhering to internationally established practices concerning the rights of these sources.

9. Distinguish between news material, opinion and analysis to avoid the pitfalls of speculation and propaganda.

10. Stand by colleagues in the profession and offer them support when required, particularly in light of the acts of aggression and harassment to which journalists are subjected at times. Cooperate with Arab and international journalistic unions and associations to defend freedom of the press.

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Now just watch this video and see if it adheres to any of the above.