sources, he had suggestions to start a news channel like CNN or BBC Arabic , which no Arab country had then. I came to know that there were objections to the idea [based on the premise] that the idea could not be successful in the Arab world. It is here when insight and enlightenment come into play. He approved the idea, seeing in it a great opportunity to change the traditions, and perhaps the whole course, of Arab media through the introduction of this channel. The impact of a news channel is not merely social or cultural but also political and economic. Al Ja- zeera, I believe, has enacted all these roles and brought in the associated impacts, indirectly rather than directly” (1) . Al Jazeera started its broadcasting on 1 November 1996, from the Qatari capital, Doha. Right from the beginning, the channel had a dis- tinctive character of its own as a channel specialised in news broadcasts dealing with topical issues and the making of and broadcasting docu- mentaries. This was evident through its “eye-catching revamp in broad- casting and reporting, high-calibre shows, uncensored news coverage, heated political discussions and reports from the ground. Furthermore, it introduced new programmes and laid the foundation for new modes of presenting by broadcasting most of its programmes on air live, thereby engaging viewers and highlighting the voices of ordinary peo- ple” (2) . In so doing, Al Jazeera’s management adopted a different news schedule from that of other Arab channels by broadcasting the news according to its significance. This editorial policy was established by a group of professional journalists who were familiar with the distinctive local considerations of the environment in which they operate thanks to the financial support of approximately 137 million US dollars from the Qatari state and the absence of censorship. In his reflection of the environment in which Al Jazeera was established, Ibrahim Hilal relays the picture by quoting Mohammed Jasim Al-Ali, former Director of the channel, who said when he met a small group of BBC journalists and presenters coming from London in the summer of 1996, “Forget that you are in a Gulf country. Imagine you are still in London”. Hilal re- counts Al-Ali telling the founding team, “No, imagine you are on Mars.
(1) Mostefa Souag, personal interview, Doha, 8 November 2020.
(2) Mohamed Zayani and Sofiane Sahraoui, T he Culture of Al Jazeera: Inside an Arab Media Giant (North Carolina-London: McFarland, 2007), pp. 23-24.
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