Al Jazeera was not bombed, yet it remained the target of negative propaganda campaigns under the pretext that it was providing a platform for terrorists. Simultaneously, most of the Arab ruling regimes continued their crackdown on Al Jazeera; shutting down its offices and arbitrarily arresting its reporters. It was even falsely alleged that Al Jazeera was a Zionist mouthpiece created by the Mossad. With every passing day, realities on the ground prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Al Jazeera is providing credible in-depth content. Al Jazeera defiantly continued to battle through all these adversities and to excel with professionalism and tolerance. It would not have been possible without the bold stand taken by the Qatari leadership. As the Arab world continued to plunge into chaos and fragmentation, Al Jazeera continued to side with the human story, defending the right to freedom and dignity. As the crackdown continued, Al Jazeera had no presence in Tunisia; its offices in Egypt were closed; even its frequency on satellite was banned. A tight siege was laid around us; however, our enthusiastic young New Media team came up with creative solutions, switching our broadcast onto the web. Our audience’s response was prompt as millions turned to our content online, before we, in a short span of time, managed to find other alternatives and resume onscreen reporting.
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