Al Jazeera Revolutionizes the World of Arab Media

By Carole Corm

AL JAZEERA, VOICE OF ARABIA

First Run/Icarus Films

Tawfic Hakem's documentary in Arabic and French with English subtitles, produced with European funding, is a brilliant documentary on Al Jazeera, the most famous Arab news channel.

Shot in the aftermath of the U.S./British intervention in Afghanistan, Hakem examines the Al Jazeera network. Founded in 1996 as the first Arab non-stop news network, Al Jazeera helped put the emirate of Qatar on the map. Although financed by the government of Qatar (on an annual budget of 13 million dollars), the network is openly critical of Arab governments and their Western allies. The station has become perhaps the sole non-governmental voice of opposition in the Arab world to carry some influence. What gives the channel weight is its incredible popularity. As one of the Al Jazeera journalists explains, "We are the most popular political party in the Arab world. And it's due to the audience's support that we can continue to exist."

Al Jazeera employs about 70 correspondents who represent "the myth of a unified Arab world. Muslims and Christians have found the freedom they could not find working in their native countries." This mission sheds light on the significance of the name Al Jazeera: the station is an island of freedom in a sea of oppression. (The name means "island" or "peninsula" in Arabic.)

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