The Al Jazeera news network, which had as its motto “The opinion, and the other opinion,” lost its legitimacy and reliability when it failed to provide fair coverage and began to present just one opinion: that of the emir. The network lost its balance and its vision years ago, due to the whims of Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who has since announced his abdication. It is possible that the station’s managers lost sight of their mandate, given all the power that the network accrued in the Arab world. It is equally possible that the network has served as a tool to promote Al Thani’s interests ever since it was founded, and that before his abdication, he sought a prominent leadership position that extended far beyond the tiny emirate he ruled.
Ever since it began broadcasting in 1996, Al Jazeera stood out as the first network in the Arab world to broadcast professionally without bias. Its journalists covered events from a critical perspective that was atypical of the Arab world. They uncovered corruption, fought for their rights to broadcast from everywhere and avoided any displays of obsequiousness toward Arab leaders. Nevertheless, the important role that it assumed for itself — which then seemed so bold and innovative to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide — has since been abandoned. Al Jazeera effectively gave up the one thing that distinguished it as a balanced and professional news network. It started encouraging revolutions and taking a clearly discernible stance in support of the emir’s allies and against his rivals.
