Al Jazeera rejects baseless claims by US lawmakers
Al Jazeera Media Network has provided multi-award winning news coverage and current affairs programs for more than twenty-one years. It is shocking to hear calls being made by a number of US law-makers to register Al Jazeera as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Al Jazeera views such calls as a direct attempt to curtail media freedom and restrict journalists from carrying out their duties, a right enshrined in the constitution of the United States of America. This call comes at a time when attacks on journalists and media organizations around the world are at an all-time high.
Although the professionalism of Al Jazeera has been questioned in prior cases; in no case has any evidence been submitted or brought forward. More recently, Al Jazeera’s journalism has been vindicated in four landmark rulings issued by the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, following a complaint against its investigative program “The Lobby”. These complaints levelled a range of charges against Al Jazeera extending from anti-Semitism and bias to unfair editing to infringement of privacy. In each instance, Ofcom has dismissed these charges and the complaints as a whole without reservation.
Since its establishment in 1996, Al Jazeera has continued to maintain its editorial independence from any governmental institutions, Qatari or otherwise, and it steers away from any political or ideological agenda. Our mission is to “inform and empower people with the accurate, in-depth content that upholds the values of truth and elevates the human spirit.” Speaking truth to power, as Al Jazeera does, is one of the roles of free media. This has resulted in harsh criticism from a number of the most oppressive and despotic regimes who want the media to portray only their side of the story - and have even called for the closure of the Al Jazeera Media Network. We are alarmed that some US lawmakers are aligned with such despotic regimes, rather than acting as gatekeepers for free speech and free media.
We take pride in our unique institution, registered as a private entity for public good, an authentic voice for the voiceless across the world and an international platform for dialogue and debate.
At Al Jazeera we ensure that our news reporting, investigative journalism, programs and all our content maintain strict adherence to editorial and legal guidelines and procedures to ensure the balance between public benefit vs. personal privacy.
Al Jazeera’s professional journalism over the past twenty one years has enabled it to receive several hundred leading awards for its news coverage and programs from renowned leaders and professionals in the media industry. It is this professionalism and dedication to reporting objectively, impartially and independently that has led other leading world organizations to seek and request partnership with Al Jazeera. We are honored to have been asked to cover important international events such as the hosting of the United Nations Secretary General Candidates debate, the coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize and the offering of exclusive interviews with the Prize winners for the second consecutive year. In addition, Al Jazeera was chosen by the US State Department as their only International Media Partner, during Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted by President Obama at Stanford University in California.
We, at Al Jazeera, renew our commitment to global audiences with news coverage and programs which provide in depth analysis of news and current affairs. We will continue celebrating the achievements brought by our diversity of staff who hail from almost 100 different countries. It is this diversity of values and cultures that enriches our work and provides our audiences with the award-winning content on all our platform.
We urge democratic forces all over the world, especially in United States, to stand with free media institutions to promote and protect the values of democracy, liberty, human rights, freedom of media and the right to free speech.
Don’t shoot the messenger, journalism is not a crime.
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Al Jazeera Media Network, launched in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first independent news channel in the Arab world dedicated to providing comprehensive news and live debate. It challenged established narratives and gave a global audience an alternative voice—one that put the human being back at the centers of the news agenda—quickly making it one of the world’s most influential news networks.
Since then, it’s added new channels and services while maintaining the independent and pioneering spirit that defined its character. Each subsidiary follows the same principles—values that inspire it to be challenging and bold, and provide a ‘voice for the voiceless’ in some of the most underreported places on the planet. From its headquarters in the Middle East, to the broadcast centers and more than 80 bureaus around the world, Al Jazeera strives to deliver content that captivates, informs, inspires and engages.
For more information, please contact:
pressoffice@aljazeera.net
