6. Name: Ahmad Al Theidi Title: Al Jazeera Satellite Channel from Regional to Global: A Question of Objectivity and News Flow Institution: University of Sussex Country: United Kingdom Date: 2003 Language: English Abstract: This thesis explores the establishment and development of Al Jazeera satellite channel, which represents an important step in news flow reciprocity. Using multiple tools to collect and analyze data, including interviews, observation and content analysis, this thesis focuses on three key stages in Al Jazeera’s development: its emergence and early development in November 1996, its coverage of the Palestinian intifada in 2000 and the aftermath of the dramatic events of 11 September 2001. Since its inception, Al Jazeera has challenged the political setting of the Arab world by questioning various social and political taboos. The study highlights how the channel encouraged freedom of speech in the region and brought a collective Arab public opinion into being. It also explores how the Western-style operation of the channel has caused an ongoing controversy about its agenda and raised questions about its goals and objectives. The researcher engages with the question of objectivity in two ways. First, through comparing Al Jazeera’s coverage of the second Palestinian intifada with that of CNN, and second through interviews with staff members of the channel as well as Kuwaiti elites.
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