ricated or even embellished, and investigates the accuracy of its details, (e.g. its source, its information, photos, the names of people, its history, its language, etc.) to present the essence of the truth in events and facts. Hence, it was not coincidental the first principle in the opening chap- ter of the book Editorial Standards, was “accuracy” (1) , “the doctrine of the journalistic work” and the foundation for the rest of the principles and rules governing media practice. This explains why Ahmed Sheikh believes the first thing Al Jazeera came up with was that the news is sacred and the opinion is free, after years of Arab media doing nothing but praise the ruler. This implies addressing the news story from an impartial perspective that does not exclude any of its elements, and al- lows for several opinions, while being guided by impartiality, integrity, balance, and objectivity. Nowadays, the need for accuracy is even more in demand, espe- cially with the torrential flow of news, information, images and videos published by online newspapers, news websites, and social media net- works. This often causes differences in narratives and perhaps fabrica- tions as well as conflicting details about an event or a fact. Inaccuracy hence becomes a problem that negatively affects the formation of pub- lic opinion, given the media’s message has been distorted or misrepre- sented. Al Jazeera’s professional experience has shown that accuracy is not a minor issue, since an error can occur at any time, especially when pictures are published on the wrong occasions or their data and sources are not verified. Al Jazeera’s professional influence is evident in two basic princi- ples: balance and objectivity. Balance is not just about treating the story from two different or contradictory perspectives, because that narrows the scope of the news or the issue to two options, thereby portraying the facts inaccurately. To achieve a comprehensive coverage of any news or issue, there are many different opinions, positions, and possibilities that must be looked at. It is here where the importance of Al Jazeera’s expe- rience comes into play in the Arab media scene. The channel “opened its screen to all opinions, orientations and trends in the society, from the far-left to the far-right. It hosted social and political groups that were
(1) Editorial Standards , Ibid., pp. 19-24.
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