Al Jazeera’s Institutional Development Karim Mejri
Introduction Al Jazeera’s institutional development and transformation from an Arabic-language news channel focused on covering the Arab world’s issues, to a global news network with multiple channels, digital plat- forms and languages presents a significant model for observation, re- search and analysis. This unique experience was shaped in a gradual context, as things developed and in response to required systems, insti- tutions and policies. The network’s expansion was accompanied by de- velopment on the administrative, financial, legal and operational levels. In this context, it should be emphasised the understanding of the term “network” was not present when the Al Jazeera channel was launched in 1996; rather, it was as a result of this gradual and continued institu- tional development. This chapter examines Al Jazeera’s path to institutional develop- ment, reviewing its most prominent expansion stages in the last quarter century. From a theoretical standpoint, researchers benefit from inter- preting this path through the frame of institutional development and its various strategies. In Al Jazeera’s first decade, it experienced a qualitative jump in the level of coverage and office expansion, reaching various regions and continents of the world. This increase required a simultaneous develop- ment in administration, coordination between units and finding suitable solutions to increasing administrative, legal, financial and technological problems. In its second decade, Al Jazeera’s institutional development saw new heights with the launch of new channels and digital platforms in a number of languages. In more recent years, the development has continued with a specialised digital sector and the launch of more plat-
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