The story of al-Jazeera, from its humble beginnings in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar in 1996 to today's global network that is required viewing for major policy makers, is a reminder of the incredible power the media can have to influence international politics.
More than ten years after the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, scrapped his country's censorious Information Ministry and commissioned a radically different Arab media outlet, al-Jazeera persists with its frank political reporting and taboo-breaking, live-to-air debates. The satellite broadcaster has unleashed a ripple effect among its pan-Arab competitors, who are now attempting to emulate its brash, free-wheeling style. The region's state broadcasters know their traditional news fare — staid reports chronicling the national leader's daily activities — no longer appeals to the masses.
While al-Jazeera English struggles to reach audiences (a year after its inception the station has yet to find a US cable carrier and in Australia the only provider offering the channel is the niche UBI World TV), its Arabic component is intent on expanding its influence, with a pan-Arab newspaper set for launch in late 2007. This would further chip away at Saudi Arabia's domination of the pan-Arab media establishment.
To the chagrin of the government in Riyadh, al-Jazeera provides a regular platform for exiled Saudi dissidents to take potshots at the monarchy. In response, Saudi Arabia's vast economic clout has effectively coalesced to boycott the channel.
Not that finances are a problem. Although al-Jazeera features some advertising, the bulk of funding flows from the Emir, who contributes a reported US$30 million per year. The channel 'won't be financially independent in the near future', says Ezzeddine Abdelmoula, of the al-Jazeera International and Media Relations department.
The station's management claims state funding comes without editorial interference. The common explanation is that al-Jazeera's own headline-making reputation suits Qatari ambitions for the tiny emirate to punch above its weight in the region. Any attempts by the leadership to rein in the feisty broadcaster would backfire.
But for many Arab governments al-Jazeera remains a nuisance. At the broadcaster's Doha newsroom, staff sit at open-plan desks in front of multiple flat-screens. Above them an electronic ticker scrolls by in Arabic script with the phrase 'al-ra'y wal-ra'y al-akhar', reminding employees that the channel has a duty to show 'the opinion and the opposite opinion'. This commitment to showing a multitude of views has exposed many rifts