cally verified, with information from primary sources in a way that no other work on Al Jazeera has managed to accomplish. This book contains eleven chapters in an effort to present a full representation of Al Jazeera’s experience from the moment of its estab- lishment, through the various developmental phases, to the effects it had on other media and political environment, ending with the challenges it faces in both its Arab surroundings and on the global stage. The first chapter narrates the story of its founding , and the circumstances in which officials in Qatar had the idea to launch an Arabic - language news channel. In this first chapter, readers follow the channel’s modest and cautious beginnings in an Arab environment that was not quite ready for a professional, free media. And our Contributors shed light on the factors that allowed Al Jazeera to succeed early on and helped it over- come, in its early years, the challenges of its region. After its founding, and in subsequent quarter century of its journey, Al Jazeera witnessed continuous institutional development and ex- panded from a single Arabic-language news channel to a global media organisation in multiple languages, with various channels, broadcast centres, and digital platforms. This aspect is explored and analysed in detail in the second chapter . The chapter also explores the adminis- trative, financial, legal, technical and innovative developments at Al Jazeera. One of the key sectors in which Al Jazeera led the way and wit- nessed monumental and fast growth was digital , and the third chapter of the book covers this. Al Jazeera launched the first Arabic news web- site, followed by a number of various platforms in other languages, and then established an entire department dedicated to lead the Network’s digital transformation with the goal of expansion and development in terms of quantity and quality. Quality has been the main driver and factor in Al Jazeera’s devel- opment and success. The Network’s teams and employees are the best in their field, with diverse practical experiences and rich involvement in global media institutions. In Al Jazeera’s newsrooms, a number of processes are in place and constantly developed to ensure and improve quality at all levels. This aspect of the Al Jazeera experience is docu-
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