Al-Jazeera: iconoclast?

Tuesday, April 22

A decade ago, Al-Jazeera sparked the new media revolution in the Middle East by challenging the status quo through the development of a public forum where politics, culture, and society could be discussed. It pioneered the creation of a new Arab journalism focused on the people in a region where the political process offers minimal chance for expression.

Its journalism practices have seeped into the rest of the sector, from other satellite stations to state-run terrestrial networks, and even into the print media, raising standards and public expectations. Terrestrial state-run stations have suffered accordingly:

• Government officials must now defend their policies on air while ordinary people have the opportunity to comment on events.
• Journalists increasingly want to adhere to international norms and be respected as professionals.
• In view of competition from Al-Jazeera and the other pan-Arab news stations, even state-owned news stations are feeling pressure to adhere to basic journalistic standards.
• Therefore, in Egypt and Jordan, government stations cover items that would have been taboo in the past in order to maintain their legitimacy.

This has challenged the ability of governments in the region to control information. Arab publics have also become accustomed to having real news and routinely turn to Al-Jazeera as their most trusted source, a sore point with Arab governments, which have sought to punish the station and its Qatari sponsor.