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Global South·Founded 1996
Al Jazeera
IndependentAl Jazeera Media Network
Al Jazeera is a Qatari state-funded international news network. Launched in 1996, it became the first major Arabic-language news channel to provide 24-hour coverage. While it has won praise for covering stories Western media ignores, its state funding model creates structural conflicts around Gulf politics and Qatari interests.
Ownership Chain
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Media NetworkGovernment of Qatar
Funding Sources
Qatar government funding
Known Conflicts of Interest
- •Funded entirely by the Qatari government, raising questions about editorial independence on stories involving Qatar's interests, Gulf politics, and energy policy.
- •Qatar's significant natural gas exports and sovereign wealth fund investments create potential conflicts across business, sports, and geopolitical coverage.
- •Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup drew scrutiny over labor rights — coverage of which tested Al Jazeera's editorial independence.
Notable Connections
- •Qatar Investment Authority (sovereign wealth fund) has stakes in major global companies including Barclays, Volkswagen, and Glencore
- •Qatar is one of the world's largest LNG exporters, creating energy policy conflicts
- •Al Jazeera journalists have been imprisoned by rival Gulf states, illustrating the geopolitical tensions around the network
- •Qatar has been accused of using Al Jazeera as a foreign policy tool by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt