New DG for Al Jazeera Network

Fake story

@ stealth,do the words "free press" mean anything to you?...the LAW is  one thing,FREEDOM OF PRESS is a whole other...it is not AGAINST THE LAW in the REAL world to state anything in the local press as long as it is TRUE,that is NOT the case in this region...where does one EVER read about anything negative or wrong about the country in the local press here even though you & me both know there is SO MUCH that is negative & wrong occuring in this country?...there is a BIG difference between the LAW & FREEDOM of the press...like i strongly suspect,you've lived here so long you've forgotten how the REAL world functions! :)...

so the newspapers here are reporting according to the laws here same as the case with newspapers the world over.

when Hiliary Clinton starts prasiing you, you know something mighty filthy  is going on. Russia Today on exploring the US infiltration of al Jazeera  There will be no more talk of revolution. Wash those dirty thoughts out of your brains !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This region has never had anything but state controlled media ever since any sort of media was established here,it would be asking a LOT to suddenly expect a TRULY(as opposed to something written on a piece of paper with no real value) independant news network. As fubar correctly pointed out,that was attempted here by appointing Robert Menard to head the Doha centre for media freedom,the man spoke his mind or attempted to,we all know what happened next...a region that is not used to media freedom cannot have FULL  media freedom thrust on it straight away,this is a process & it will meet a LOT of obstacles because there is a LOT that would rather be or is used to being hidden around here,let's not get into those details,people who know what i'm talking about,know what i'm talking about...Emiri decrees are one thing,it actually being carried out in TRUE spirit is a whole other...

I see your point Genesis.  The only point I was really trying to make was that whether or not the appointment of an Al Thani to this role is (or isn’t) nepotism and cronyism, it just LOOKS bad.  But then the last time a brave media person was appointed to Qatar by Sheikha Mozah (Robert Menard) he got screwed over by the other side of Qatari politics and was forced out.  Perhaps it’s all just easier to keep things ‘in house’, so to speak. As for the rumored new media law, no one really knows what it will say, what it will mean, and what Al Jazeera will be if or when it becomes a “private institution”.  Thinking about such things in Qatar almost seems like a waste of time, since the outcome is truly unpredictable.  Or, more likely, everything will just get ‘postponed’ for ‘further review’ for another 10 years.  

Like I've written previously , it's purely an administrative decision.

I don't know if you were following the local politics in the past few months. Since its establishment, Aljazeera was under Qatar general media corporation until last July When an Emiri decree was issued to turn it into a "private institution for public interest"

Here is an interesting article by the peninsula editor in chief on that decree

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/the-editorial/editor-in-chief/158781-how-can-jazeera-be-a-public-utility.html

It is assumed that the split of Qatar news Agency & Aljazeera from Qatar general media corporation umbrella has to do with the much awaited media law & the upcoming parliament election in 2013 ( It might be wrong)

While AJA & AJE differ in content & area of interest coverage , their editorials are much alike And almost hold the same direction

@ stealth,or so you would like to think!...media is governed by law,everywhere in the world as LP correctly pointed out BUT as long as you're not breaking the law,you can write what you like elsewhere...so correction,there is state controlled media & non-state controlled independent media,this country/region is ALL state controlled as it is in a few other countries but in the rest of the world,it's free & independent...perhaps you've been here so long you've forgotten what free media is like!...it's ok,happens!...

You can be a commentator.. you can give your opinions about the leaders in your country. That's the media's freedom of expression..

Trust me, stealth, in my country I can make my own newspaper and say what I think as long as it doesn't violate a law. Saying for example that the President is a monkey who doesn't know what he is doing, is perfectly ok!Can you say the same about your leader?

gadarene - there is no freedom of media anywhere.....

@ genesis, point taken bud...but can you blame people for wondering how an "independant" news channel with an "unbiased" point of view is going to come out of a country/region with ZERO media freedom?...Al Jazeera has made HUGE steps in terms of freely broadcasting news stories but there is still a LONG way to go for the words "freedom of media" to be used around here...

I am thinking of AJ English, not AJ Arabic.That said, I think it's a natural consequence here of having a royal family, that when ANYONE with the last name Al Thani gets any kind of a job or post, people speculate and assume that it has absolutely nothing to do with their credentials or qualifications, and everything to do with who they are.  (I'm not referring here specifically to the new DG, but in general I think this is a natural train of thought for people when they think of members of a royal family.)I guess that's one of the (few) downsides to actually being a member of a royal family: people doubt that you have any real skills or talents and assume you're just being given an important post to make things look good.

most other broadcasters also claim to be "neautral" or "independant",Have a look at this  "...Fox News' Washington bureau chief, Bill Sammon, have found their way into the public domain in recent days via the liberal website Media Matters. They detail how the news organisation which bills itself "fair and balanced" has made its reportage anything but... " http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/leaked-memos-cast-doubt-on-fox-news-claim-of-neutrality-2162660.html now you give us a break, oohk ?

Genesis/Ummjake, I think you need to remember that there is a HUGE difference, editorially etc, between Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English.  It isn't the same network in different languages, they are two totally different news services.  By the way, this is from Al Jazeera's own website:"Our mission is to provide independent, impartial news for an international audience and to offer a voice to a diversity of perspectives from under-reported regions."In my opinion appointing an Al Thani to this position will probably hurt the broadcaster's reputation abroad, where most people are already of the opinion (ture or not) that Al Jazeera is just the mouthpiece of the Qatari government.And personally I don't think this has much to do with Wikileaks, and has more to do with Al Jazeera having annoyed Bahrain and Saudi in recent coverage (by trying to be an independent news source).  If indeed the result of broadcasting the "Shouting in the Dark" documentary is that there is such a huge change, that is very sad indeed.

Wadah Khanfar's full statement http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=97235

Then you weren't following the network closely . Since it was established, Aljazeera has always been leaning toward being arab nationalism , anti zionism & anti imperialism. Its coverage of both Afganstan & Iraq " invasion" was very clear ( the only news channel that calls them jihadis & martyrs Not terrorists- unlike other news channels in the region like Al Arabia for instance ). Not to mention its intentisive pro Hamas & pro Hezbollah coverage the past few years prior to the Arab spring.

Like I've written earlier, the past few months witnessed a change in direction in Aljazeera coverage from very obvious MB influence to think tank influence ( Azmi bishara , Shadi Hamid,...) not to mention it imbraced the new media

Appointing CMU/ Imperial college of London graduate QatarGas COO sheik Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani has administrative meaning and I doubt would have any effect in the network's policy

 (one with absolutely no background in media/journalism) certainly creates the appearance that the Qatari government/royal family will be exerting even more control over the perspective the channel promotes and disseminates.  And even though it may have never said it was an independent news network, I always thought that it was trying to be.  But now with an Al Thani as DG, I don't think that perception can be seriously entertained.

There is nothing wrong with changing the person in charge of a news channel. You still have the choice of hundreds of additional channels to form your own opinion! However, if you rely on only one source, you are fukced.

I always prefer FOXXXXXXXXXXXX.........:)

I prefer BBC for the world news..:)

britexpat...

AL Jazeera ...never talks about Qatar...lol, they always trying to spot out something, which is out of coverage!!!

but honestly CNN, BBC & FOX are the main onces, which gets you the whole world coverage! now let me watch the headlines

They got the audience bec.of their coverage during the unrest in Some of the middle east countries..

This is because it was not allowed to make inroads into North America. Now after the Egyptian and Libyan coverages, more people are beginning to watch it.

has now world wide auidence and is known around the world.

Aljazeera is only known in the middle-east, but the whole world knows only CNN, BBC, SKY & FOX....:)

different newspapers different perspectives. Some says he resigned, some says he is replaced.

Anyway Khanfar is not going anywhere and will be leading a media organization related to Aljazeera :)

I don't recall Aljazeera ever claiming to be independent or neutral! It represented different views ( which was a first in an Arab media outlet) but never were they shy off presenting the channel's perspective which was Arab nationalism since day one.

This is the just speculation. While Khanfar had a vital role in Aljazeera , it's a known fact That he wasn't the channel's policy maker.

Over the past years most liberal Arabs accused the channel during Khanfar Reign to be Muslim brotherhood oriented, still this have not effected in earning him one if the most powerful people in the world according To Forbes magazine.

I think with the current Aljazeera network expansion, the GD role must be management oriented rather than journalism oriented . With the local presence of think tanks like brookings Doha centre, RUSI Qatar & Azmi Bashara and their clear influence in the network policy ever since the Arab spring started, There will be almost no impact in the current channel status

Independent or not, Aljazeera is a powerhouse media outlet & no.1 in the region.

none but then they don't claim to be either!...& most major ones belong to "independant" individuals NOT to the GOVERNMENT as is the case with Al Jazeera which constantly CLAIMS to be "independant" & "neutral"... please,give us all a break eh?!

Can you name a news agency that fits in the category 'independant' ?

And the reason for this sudden change?...read morehttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/world/middleeast/after-disclosures-by-wikileaks-al-jazeera-replaces-its-top-news-director.htmlI love it when people around the world think Al Jazeera is an "independant" news network!...best joke i've heard in a while!...It always was,is & will be controlled by it's owners,so placing one of them as the DG seems to be the logical thing to do eh?...no point trying to appear "neutral" when one is anything but!...