ern research methods, which they have already mastered through their studies and academic work. The contributors, however, did not act on their own initiative. They relied on varied and abundant documents and materials provided by the Committee on Documenting Al Jazeera Jour- ney, especially those provided by Dr. Lhaj Mohamed Nacik, who is in charge of collecting, verifying and facilitating access to these materi- als. They also took advantage of the multiple readings of their research drafts during the reviews carried out by members of the Editorial Com- mittee. This includes especially, Dr. Salah Eddin Elzein and Dr. Ezzed- dine Abdelmoula, the principal editor of this book. This collective work – that features multiple minds, eyes and expe- riences – exposes the common misconceptions about Al Jazeera, which nearly turned into facts, even in the minds of some of Al Jazeera’s em- ployees themselves. These misconceptions have been carefully exam- ined and corrected based on true, accurate, and unquestionable docu- mentation. Sometimes, we refer to more than one witness to a particular event, issue or opinion so as to not leave room for suspicion, and to come to a “state of certainty”. In this context, I would like to acknowl- edge the contribution of Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim Abushouk, Professor of history at Qatar University, who acted as an “External Reviewer” to en- hance objectivity and integrity. Dr. Abushouk reviewed the book draft and passed on useful advice. Since to err is human, we, in the Commit- tee, are grateful to anyone who suggests corrections to any mistakes identified, not only in the book, but also in the documentation works, which will be released subsequently. It is very important, before I conclude, to thank everyone who en- riched this book generously and comfortably by providing the Commit- tee with documents (written, videotaped, or audible) and accepting our invitation to give testimonies through interviews and other important materials to shape the network’s history. Some of these ‘living’ testi- monies might include a few differences that could sometimes live up to the level of contradiction. However, we decided to keep it as it is out of respect for the memories and expertise of its owners, who are already our colleagues. These testimonies, however, are instrumental in historic studies. They provide the original material for serious historians who seek to go beyond individual bias up to the highest possible objectivity.
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