not have experience in television media, because Al Jazeera wanted the experts committed to this process to be away from any television influence. The division turned the network’s attention to this type of produc- tion, which elevated its name to the Quality Control and Editorial Stan- dards division in 2012, under journalist Mohamed Daoud’s supervision. In this context, it is important to note that one of the motives behind expanding this division by adding various responsibilities, was the net- work’s expansion and increase in the number of its channels. The varied platforms and languages, as well as the developments that came with it in 2006, required a consistency among the different narratives and professional codes of conduct so as to maintain Al Jazeera’s general template across all these platforms (1) . The contexts in which Al Jazeera operated cannot be ignored, where political repression was the overarching theme seen in high lev- els of polarisation and division that often led to civil wars. Al Jazeera was always in the field for these events, and was the “mirror in which tyrants saw themselves as tyrants, and freedom seekers as freedom seekers” (2) . These contexts meant that media outlets had to hold on tight to their professional codes of conduct above all else, and provide the highest quality content after being thrown in a gun battle with a number of sides, but having to remain unbiased and free from political unrest and ideological conflict. To enhance the Quality Control team’s expanded role, it was de- cided that they would perform their work outside the newsroom, in an area close to Al Jazeera’s headquarters, like the smaller team did during the establishment phase. There was a clear vision behind this decision: to create some physical distance between this team’s work environment and the newsroom activity, including deepening the notion of external viewership or the “channel critic”.
(1) Ibid.
(2) Daoud et. al., Ibid., p. 7.
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