competitors and the constantly-changing alliances forced by the Arab world’s political reality, which requires institutional agility. There is no doubt that continuous institutional development within Al Jazeera Media network is essential to achieve this. The diverse paths of glo- balisation have led to unprecedented ties between peoples across the world, making institutions, including Al Jazeera, more vulnerable to both opportunities and threats across the world. Furthermore, informa- tion technology has necessitated redefining traditional business models and creating innovative companies and institutions with the ability to expand services to a global audience in a matter of a few years. This is exactly what Al Jazeera Media Network was able to do as a result of internal and external reasons—reach viewers across the world with its media products, including news, analysis, and programmes– in a short number of years. This poses the questions: What are Al Jazeera’s most important development milestones? How did it start? Where has this gone after a quarter of a century since the launch of this experiment? And what are the expected results of this monumental project? 1. The Early Stage This stage spans from the network’s launch to 2003. This launch stage is distinguished by Al Jazeera’s clear spark, particularly in its constant coverage of the most important events in the Arab and Islam- ic world and beyond. The Qatar Public Satellite Channel Corporation was established as a result of Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani’s decree, Law 1, on 8 February 1996. In its first article, the law established a “public, independent organisation, legally known as the ‘Qatar Public Satellite Channel Corporation, with an independent budget and headquartered in the city of Doha, and with permission to establish branches or offices or to employ correspondents within and beyond Qatar, and to be run by commercial practices”. The second article of the law states, “the institution assumes sole responsibility to launch and broadcast the Qatar Satellite Television Channel in accordance with the rules of this law”. The third article in- dicates, “the institution shall be managed by a board of directors made up of a president, vice president and board members. The Emir will ap- point these people and determine the length of their service …the board
48
EN2.indd 48
20/02/2022 4:14 PM
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter