subject to pressures from any party. Al Jazeera is concerned only with humans and is free from the conditions that usually come with funding. Humans are the core of our editorial policy” (1) . Al Jazeera’s moral and professional approach that made it side with the freedom of expression of millions of Arabs who had been deprived of their basic rights for decades, has expanded with the broadening of its media coverage outside the Arab world. The impact of this model grew further with the birth of more channels and specialised platforms, such as Al Jazeera English, that were able to embody those values in their coverage for other parts of the world. Al Jazeera had a profound influence in regions outside the Arab world, even before the launch of Al Jazeera English. During his annual speech before the South Afri- can National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) in Johannesburg in April 2003, former South African president Thabo Mbeki stressed the importance of launching a satellite channel that promotes a pan-African identity relaying the continent’s views and interests to the world. “If Al Jazeera succeeded, he said, there is no reason why an African Al Jazeera would fail” (2) . In the same context, and in an interview with the author in May 2004, former President of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, called for establish- ing an African Al Jazeera to enhance pan-African identity (3) . The Third Phase: Al Jazeera in English In light of what Al Jazeera presents, we can understand the reasons why its higher management formed a specialised committee six months before the launch of Al Jazeera English. This committee conducted in- tensive brainstorming sessions involving a number of journalists to dis- cuss and draft the statement that defines the identity of the new channel (statement of definition). After endless discussions and deliberations,
(1) Souag, personal interview, Ibid.
(2) Speech by Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, during SANEF’s annual meet- ing in Johannesburg on 5 April 2003.
(3) Sam Nujoma, former President of Namibia, personal interview, Windhoek, 14 May 2004.
189
EN2.indd 189
20/02/2022 4:14 PM
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter