new Arab media phenomenon: Qatar's Al-Jazeera, The

Middle East Policy, Jun 2001 by Bahry, Louay Y

On a visit to Doha, Egyptian President Husni Mubarak wanted to satisfy his curiosity about the most famous satellite TV station in the Arab world, one that has annoyed him and many other Arab rulers. It was past midnight when he arrived unannounced at al-Jazeera's studio, located in the compound that houses Qatari Radio and Television. After touring the station's compound, he turned to Safwat Sharif, leader of Egypt's vast media empire, and exclaimed: "All this trouble from a match box like this?"(1)

Nothing distinguishes al-Jazeera's modest studios from the hundreds of new buildings in Doha except its exceptional security measures and official procedures. Al-Jazeera is the first Arab TV station based on Arab soil that is expressly critical of Arab regimes and governments and even dares insult them occasionally. This paper will attempt to address several questions about this new phenomenon. How was al-Jazeera born and how did it become what it now is? What kinds of changes has it brought to Arab media, and what has been its impact on the Arab people? What is the content of the programs which have made it famous? What are the criticisms leveled against it?

EMIR HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AND THE NEW MEDIA IN QATAR

The foundation of al-Jazeera is best explained within the framework of a series of reforms instituted by the new emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, after his assumption of power in June 1995. A relatively young man of 44 when he replaced his father, Shaikh Hamad belongs to a new generation of Arab leaders more open to political and social ideas familiar in the West. To accomplish the transformation, the emir brought with him a new generation of Qatari leaders. The reforms have been not only political, but social and economic as well. The emir allowed all Qataris (men and women) to vote for members of an (advisory) Municipal Council (March 8, 1999). This was the first time women had been allowed to vote for members of any political body in any of the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates).2 The emir of Qatar has also announced his intention to hold general elections for an Assembly, the first of its kind in Qatar, and has formed a committee to produce a permanent constitution for Qatar by July 2002. One of the most significant reforms sponsored by the emir was abolition of censorship over the media in Qatar. This took final shape on March 30, 1998, with the abolition of the Ministry of Information, which had been responsible for media censorship.3 This set free the press, radio and TV in Qatar and paved the way for al-Jazeera. This new freedom also allowed the Qatari press to compete to attract better journalists and a wider audience. Despite these reforms, however, there are still certain "red lines" for the Qatari press, and they rarely go beyond them. One is criticizing the ruling Al Thani family.

Qatar has both government and privately owned media. The government owns the Qatar Radio and Television Corporation; it also has a Department of Printing and Publications and a Qatari Press Agency, established in 1975. A National Council for Arts and Science, headed by Princess Mozza bint Nasr al-- Misned, the wife of the emir, publishes studies and pamphlets. In the private sector, there are three daily newspapers in Arabic (al-Sharq, al-Rayah and the semiofficial al-Watan), and two private newspapers in English (The Gulf Times and The Peninsula). Two privately owned monthly magazines are published in Arabic, (Qatar al-Khair and al-Doha lil-Jamiah). The TV satellite, al-Jazeera, is considered privately owned. Although the station is managed independently, it is not owned by private capital; the station still receives financial support from the government.

THE BIRTH AND RISE OF AL-JAZEERA

Shaikh Hamad's motives for establishing al-Jazeera are not entirely clear. He apparently wanted a TV station reflecting the new image of Qatar that he wished to project to the outside world. The decree establishing al-Jazeera in February 1996 came less than a year after he assumed power,4 and the station started broadcasting nine months later, on November 1, 1996. Initially, the idea was to modernize Qatari TV and to broadcast it via satellite. However, the Qataris decided instead to launch an entirely new TV channel via satellite to compete with the popular BBC channel. If one asks the Qataris where the idea for al-Jazeera originated, they quickly respond that it came from the emir himself. In fact, the concept was first put forward by Shaikh Hamad in August 1994, while he was still crown prince. Preparations to establish the channel started in February and March 1995. Initially, the emir considered a mix of entertainment and news, but he finally opted for an all-news station.(5)

A three-member committee was appointed to work on establishing the new satellite channel. It was composed of Adnan al-Sharif, a journalist; Muhammad Suhlawi, financial adviser to the emir; and Shaikh Hamad Bin Thamir Al Thani, under-secretary of the Ministry of Information. The committee flew to London, where they prepared a six-hour pilot program. It was later shown to the emir, and he liked it.6 The committee then began contacting journalists, broadcasters and administrators to work for the station. In that same year (1996) a Board of Directors was appointed for the new station, through a decision of the Qatari Council of Ministers. This board is composed of seven members appointed for terms of three years. It is composed of members of the new generation of Qataris, ranging in age from 34 to 47.