the South. We believe that if we become clear and powerful in telling our narrative, the North would listen to us. For example, Africa has been marginalised by the global media, not by ignoring it completely, but by stereotyping it in four main stories: famines, diseases, conflicts and slavery. Al Jazeera adopted a different approach. While addressing these important issues, it went further by providing in-depth coverage of the socioeconomic and cultural context and explaining the reasons behind these situations, including Western policies”, says Khanfar (1) . Being Present Since the turn of the twenty-first century, it has been obvious there was a decision for Al Jazeera to be on the ground wherever there are human crises or natural disasters. That is why many overseas bureaus were established and their numbers increased rapidly from 13 in 2003 to 34 bureaus within two years, reaching 75 by 2017. This wide net- work of bureaus covers more than 105 countries and regions. In ad- dition, the Network also has a number of roving reporters stationed in different regions. On many occasions, it has deployed additional crews to cover specific stories. At the same time, there are strict criteria for the selection of bureau chiefs and correspondents, including having lived the cultures of the countries and regions they cover both politically and socially to be able to put the news in the right context. Therefore, Al Jazeera has managed to uphold its paradigm of human-centred journal- ism. An example of the policy of field deployment in anticipation of future developments is when Al Jazeera established a bureau in Moga- dishu at a time in which nothing noteworthy was happening in Somalia. Months later, a severe famine hit East Africa and moved to West Af- rica. The world followed the tragedy on Al Jazeera, which succeeded in breaking the silence of international media who had failed to cover the story. Consequently, international relief agencies, including those under the United Nations, sought partnerships with Al Jazeera Media Network to maximise global awareness of the magnitude and severity of the catastrophe. In return, these partnerships gave Al Jazeera more access to affected areas in which these agencies are active. The partner-
(1) Wadah Khanfar, personal interview, Ibid.
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