MIDDLE EAST POLICY, VOL. VIII, NO. 2, JUNE 2001 THE NEW ARAB MEDIA PHENOMENON: QATAR’S AL-JAZEERA Louay Y. Bahry Dr. Bahry is adjunct professor of political science at the University of Tennessee. This paper was given at the thirty-fourth annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association, November 16-19, 2000, in Orlando, Florida. n a visit to Doha, Egyptian people? What is the content of the pro- President Husni Mubarak grams which have made it famous? What wanted to satisfy his curiosity are the criticisms leveled against it? Oabout the most famous satellite TV station in the Arab world, one that has EMIR HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AND annoyed him and many other Arab rulers. THE NEW MEDIA IN QATAR It was past midnight when he arrived The foundation of al-Jazeera is best unannounced at al-Jazeera’s studio, located explained within the framework of a series in the compound that houses Qatari Radio of reforms instituted by the new emir of and Television. After touring the station’s Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, after compound, he turned to Safwat Sharif, his assumption of power in June 1995. A leader of Egypt’s vast media empire, and relatively young man of 44 when he exclaimed: “All this trouble from a match replaced his father, Shaikh Hamad belongs box like this?”1 to a new generation of Arab leaders more Nothing distinguishes al-Jazeera’s open to political and social ideas familiar in modest studios from the hundreds of new the West. To accomplish the transforma- buildings in Doha except its exceptional tion, the emir brought with him a new security measures and official procedures. generation of Qatari leaders. The reforms Al-Jazeera is the first Arab TV station have been not only political, but social and based on Arab soil that is expressly critical economic as well. The emir allowed all of Arab regimes and governments and Qataris (men and women) to vote for even dares insult them occasionally. This members of an (advisory) Municipal paper will attempt to address several Council (March 8, 1999). This was the questions about this new phenomenon. first time women had been allowed to vote How was al-Jazeera born and how did it for members of any political body in any of become what it now is? What kinds of the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation changes has it brought to Arab media, and Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, what has been its impact on the Arab Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emir- 88 bahry88-99.p65 88 5/1/2001, 12:13 PM BAHRY: QATAR’S AL-JAZEERA ates).2 The emir of Qatar has also an- THE BIRTH AND RISE OF nounced his intention to hold general AL-JAZEERA elections for an Assembly, the first of its Shaikh Hamad’s motives for establish- kind in Qatar, and has formed a committee ing al-Jazeera are not entirely clear. He to produce a permanent constitution for apparently wanted a TV station reflecting Qatar by July 2002. One of the most the new image of Qatar that he wished to significant reforms sponsored by the emir project to the outside world. The decree was abolition of censorship over the media establishing al-Jazeera in February 1996 in Qatar. This took final shape on March came less than a year after he assumed 30, 1998, with the abolition of the Ministry power,4 and the station started broadcast- of Information, which had been responsible ing nine months later, on November 1, for media censorship.3 This set free the 1996. Initially, the idea was to modernize press, radio and TV in Qatar and paved the Qatari TV and to broadcast it via satellite. way for al-Jazeera. This new freedom also However, the Qataris decided instead to allowed the Qatari press to compete to launch an entirely new TV channel via attract better journalists and a wider satellite to compete with the popular BBC audience. Despite these reforms, however, channel. If one asks the Qataris where the there are still certain “red lines” for the idea for al-Jazeera originated, they quickly Qatari press, and they rarely go beyond respond that it came from the emir himself. them. One is criticizing the ruling Al Thani In fact, the concept was first put forward family. by Shaikh Hamad in August 1994, while Qatar has both government and he was still crown prince. Preparations to privately owned media. The government establish the channel started in February owns the Qatar Radio and Television and March 1995. Initially, the emir consid- Corporation; it also has a Department of ered a mix of entertainment and news, but Printing and Publications and a Qatari he finally opted for an all-news station.5 Press Agency, established in 1975. A A three-member committee was National Council for Arts and Science, appointed to work on establishing the new headed by Princess Mozza bint Nasr al- satellite channel. It was composed of Misned, the wife of the emir, publishes Adnan al-Sharif, a journalist; Muhammad studies and pamphlets. In the private Suhlawi, financial adviser to the emir; and sector, there are three daily newspapers in Shaikh Hamad Bin Thamir Al Thani, Arabic (al-Sharq, al-Rayah and the semi- under-secretary of the Ministry of Infor- official al-Watan), and two private news- mation. The committee flew to London, papers in English (The Gulf Times and The where they prepared a six-hour pilot Peninsula). Two privately owned monthly program. It was later shown to the emir, magazines are published in Arabic, (Qatar and he liked it.6 The committee then began al-Khair and al-Doha lil-Jamiah). The contacting journalists, broadcasters and TV satellite, al-Jazeera, is considered administrators to work for the station. In privately owned. Although the station is that same year (1996) a Board of Direc- managed independently, it is not owned by tors was appointed for the new station, private capital; the station still receives through a decision of the Qatari Council of financial support from the government. Ministers. This board is composed of seven 89 bahry88-99.p65 89 5/1/2001, 12:13 PM MIDDLE EAST POLICY, VOL. VIII, NO. 2, JUNE 2001 members appointed for terms of three an impressive operation: 497 employees, 11 years. It is composed of members of the offices abroad and 38 foreign correspon- new generation of Qataris, ranging in age dents.10 Each office abroad has at least from 34 to 47. two correspondents, if not more; some on From the very beginning, some fortu- permanent contract, others as freelancers. nate circumstances helped establish al- Al-Jazeera hires from all over the Arab Jazeera on firm ground. In 1996, the Saudi- world, including Iraqis, some of whom owned Orbit satellite station based in Rome come directly from Iraq to work at the scrapped a two-year-old deal to carry the channel. signals of the BBC Arabic TV station. The rupture was caused by a dispute over THE AL-JAZEERA EXPLOSION coverage of two events that displeased the Al-Jazeera struck like lightning. In four Saudis. The first of these programs years, the station has captured the attention featured a leading Saudi dissident. The of viewers from the Persian Gulf to North second covered the funeral procession of a Africa.11 Arabs all over the world who Saudi princess, an event that deeply have satellite dishes faithfully watch their offended the religious sensibilities of the favorite programs on al-Jazeera, all con- Saudis and that they considered contrary to veyed in a widely comprehensible form of their conservative Wahhabi beliefs.7 The Arabic. Until the advent of al-Jazeera, Saudi-BBC dispute coincided with the Arabs did not pay much attention to the establishment of al-Jazeera. Suddenly, media in their own countries. They hundreds of well-trained, professional Arab considered this information as little more journalists, broadcasters and media admin- than an extension of the views of their own istrators were out of work and available for governments, echoing official speeches and recruitment. Al-Jazeera quickly signed reporting on the activities of leaders. contracts with some 120 of them. They Many Arabs turned to the Western media were attracted by better salaries and for objective analysis. Three major broad- promises of more freedom of expression in casting stations (in Arabic) became very their programs and in coverage of the successful: the BBC from London, the news. Thus al-Jazeera was founded from French Radio Monte Carlo and the U.S. the first on “news coverage” as it is known Voice of America. Still, these three in the West.8 Some of the newly hired stations were considered foreign sources staff of al-Jazeera were retained in Lon- of information whose ultimate goal was to don; the rest were moved to Doha. Among serve their own countries. Thus, they were the new recruits were two reporters who easy targets of attack by anti-Western soon helped establish the two most popular individuals and groups. programs on al-Jazeera: Faisal al-Qasim, Al-Jazeera, however, is an Arab who moved to Doha, and Sami Haddad, source, based in an Arab country, whose who remained in London.9 journalists and correspondents are all The station began broadcasting six Arabs. Thus it was welcomed by the hours a day, then increased this to twelve. majority of its listeners. Many Arabs feel a Since January 1, 1999, al-Jazeera has been sense of pride in having a genuinely Arab broadcasting 24 hours a day. It has built up news channel.