The Channel | 2004 | September

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the channel | 17
Middle East. It has been incredibly difficult
to get people from certain countries to work
for Aljazeera, continued Krechen, as it has
often been seen as “unpatriotic” for them to
broadcast on the channel. In particular, it has
been very difficult for Saudi nationals to
present news on Aljazeera.
One of the key questions that Aljazeera has
to answer, said Faizal Dawjee of South
Africa’s Spin Media (and a former director
of media for the South African government),
is whether it wants to be a regional operator
or a truly global player. The determining
factor in this will be the advertisers and
viewers. Bertrand Picquerie said that now is
the time for Aljazeera to “stop complaining
and concentrate on the future.”
Trust and credibility were discussed time
after time during the two day event. A varied
range of views was presented at the
conference, some delegates suggesting that
western media had lost all trust and credibility
in the Middle East, while others suggested
that Aljazeera and other Arab channels had
no level of trust and credibility in the region
let alone around the world.
These diverse and strongly-held views are one
of the reasons behind Aljazeera’s decision to
hold their inaugural world forum and to
develop its code of ethics which it unveiled
at the conference.Aljazeera is striving to show
that it is an ethically-run channel that applies
the same principles that long-established
broadcasters use. It is investigating an IPO
[initial public offering] to change the
channel’s ownership which is currently
mainly in the hands of the Qatari government.
Plans for the English-language service are
moving ahead, with a potential launch in
2005, along with a documentary and a
children’s channel. Aljazeera already has a
widely-viewed sports channel on the air in
the region. The channel is currently extending
its building in Doha and is equipping a new
newsroom and studio complex fromwhich the
Arabic-language channels will be broadcast.
The planned English service will use the
existing building.
What lies behind Aljazeera’s desire to
explain itself to the world? The channel feels
this is as important and relevant today as it
was during the Gulf War last year in the face
of apparent continued hostility to it in the
USA, for example.
At the Democratic Party convention in
Boston in July, the channel was told to
remove the Aljazeera banner from in front
of the press box where its 16-strong team
was based. “We’ve taken down other signs,
like Comcast’s,” convention spokeswoman
Peggy Wilhide said, noting that of 33
organisations that have ‘skyboxes’, only 40
per cent have signs displayed.
Aljazeera is working hard to ensure that it is
regarded as a mainstream media operator, one
that happens to be based in the Middle East
and reports the region to the region. With 750
people working at the Doha headquarters,
providing round-the-clock broadcasting on
two television channels and more to come,
plus around 180 staff in 24 bureaux around
the world, the channel has established the
infrastructure needed to give credence to its
claims to be a major media player.
Now it needs to overcome the hostility and
preconceptions that colour so much of the
coverage that the channel receives in the West.
Wadar Khanfar admits that the channel has made
mistakes in the past, particularly in broadcasting
images that offendWestern sensibilities. But now,
with the launch of the ethics code and a major
campaign to inform people about the channel,
the way it works and its plans for the future, the
channel and the people who work there believe
that progress is being made. It’s through being
part of the world’s mainstream broadcasting
organisations that Aljazeera will gain the respect
it deserves, says Khanfar. Naturally, being a
member of the AIB is an important part of this.
With more than 35 million viewers, the channel
is already getting something right. Now is the
time for the rest of the world to start working
with the organisation.
Aljazeera headquarters in Doha
Code of Ethics
Being a globally oriented media service,
Aljazeera shall resolutely adopt the following
code of ethics in pursuing the vision and
mission it has set for itself:
- Adhere to the jour nalistic values of
honesty, courage, fair ness, balance,
independence, credibility and diversity
giving no priority to commercial or political
considerations over professionalism.
- Endeavour to get to the truth and declare it in
our dispatches, programmes and news
bulletins unequivocally in a manner which
leaves no doubt about its validity and accuracy.
- Treat our audiences with due respect and
address every issue or story with due attention
to present a clear, factual and accurate picture
while giving full consideration to the feelings of
victims of crime, war, persecution and disaster,
their relatives, our viewers, and to individual
privacies and public decorum.
- Welcome fair and honest media competition
without allowing it to adversely affect our
standards of performance and thereby “having
a scoop” would not become an end in itself.
- Present diverse points of view and opinions
without bias and partiality.
- Recognize diversity in human societies with
all their races, cultures, beliefs, values, and
intrinsic individualities so as to present an
unbiased and faithful reflection of their societies.
- Acknowledge a mistake when it occurs,
promptly correct it and ensure it does not recur.
- Observe transparency in dealing with the
news and its sources while adhering to
internationally established practices concerning
the rights of these sources.
- Distinguish between news material, opinion,
and analysis to avoid the snares of speculation
and propaganda.
-Stand by colleagues in the profession and give
them support when required, particularly in the
light of the acts of aggression and harassment
to which journalists are subjected at times.
Cooperate with Arab and international
journalistic unions and associations to defend
freedom of the press.
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