The World News coming from Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera started out as an unpopular source for news. If you compared Al Jazeera newsroom to an American newsroom, you cannot help but notice the difference in size of the two media outlets. During the Gulf War, many citizens wanted to know what was going on overseas. They turned to such stations as CNN and BBC. Al Jazeera struggled to attract an audience. But that seemed to change when Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani came into power.

"Al Jazeera, which translates as "the Peninsula," was established by emiri decree in February 1996. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who seized power in 1995 from his father, created Al Jazeera as part of an effort to modernize and democratize Qatar. He allocated $137 million to Al Jazeera with the goal that the station would be self-sustaining within five years of its November 1, 1996, debut." (Rick Zednik, Inside Al Jazeera)

Al Jazeera quickly became a popular news station. It is the only 24 hour Arab station in the world. Al Jazeera was delivering the news to its thirty-five million viewers. It was not only covering the war; it became an important player in the global battle for public opinion. American media can be credited for the success of Al Jazeera.