Military Review English Edition July-August 2014 | Page 69

THE RISE OF AL JAZEERA

in its first year.18 Al Jazeera’s dramatically expanding
audience coupled with its visual programming and webbased platforms could provide many opportunities for
the DOD to inform and educate large audiences of all
ages around the world.

in 2007 and two months in 2008 and found that Al
Jazeera English had covered the global south with
in-depth reporting more often than the global north.22
It is safe to assume this trend continues with current
programming. As U.S. strategic defense priorities

Since its modest beginnings
in Doha, Qatar, where it began
broadcasting a part-time satellite
television channel in Arabic with
fewer than 150 employees and
fewer than a million viewers, Al
Jazeera has grown to over 80 news
bureaus across the world. Most are
located in Africa, Asia, and Central
and Latin America. By comparison, CNN has closed many of its
international bureaus and today
only maintains 44 editorial operaBernard Smith, left, correspondent, and Ben Foley, center, cameraman, both with Al Jations, 14 in the United States.19 Al
zeera English News Channel, interview a local Afghan teacher in Kajaki, Helmand Province,
Jazeera employs more than 3,000
Afghanistan, 23 May 2012.
staff members across the globe,
including more than 400 journalists from more than
now focus on the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East,
60 different countries. Al Jazeera English, the largest
and North Africa, Al Jazeera can make a significant
of the Al Jazeera channels, employs “more than 1,000
contribution toward helping the defense community
highly experienced staff from more than 50 nationaliunderstand and communicate with those nations.23
ties, making Al Jazeera English’s newsroom among the
In 2011, Al Jazeera provided significantly more
most diverse in the world.”20 Operating from its Doha
coverage of global issues than news media based in
headquarters and two different news centers 24 hours a the United States. According to the Pew Research
day, seven days a week, Al Jazeera now broadcasts int