43. Name: Heiða Björk Vigfúsdóttir Title: Al Jazeera: A Window into the Arab World Institution: University of Iceland Country: Iceland Date: 2008 Language: Icelandic Abstract:
Al Jazeera satellite news channel was the first Arabic-speaking channel to broadcast news around the clock. It is one of the most popular and controversial news stations in the Middle East, but it has also caused a great deal of controversy among Western nations. Its sister channel, Al Jazeera English, is the first television station based in the Arab world to broadcast in English around the clock. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate why the Emir of Qatar decided in 1996 to establish Al Jazeera, and whether his government financial contributions to the station affect its editorial independence in any way. The study found that during the first years, Al Jazeera operated largely free from the intervention of the Qatari government. However, at a later stage, there are indications that this policy has changed and that the channel, for example, should not do anything that could upset the Saudi government. It is likely that the emir had the station established with more than one purpose in mind, including having a positive effect on Qatar’s image and diplomacy on the international stage.
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