ITV

Tag: Al Jazeera

  • Al Jazeera shuts China bureau following journalist’s expulsion

    Al Jazeera shuts China bureau following journalist’s expulsion

    MUMBAI: Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera has closed down its Beijing bureau following the Chinese government’s refusal to to renew the press credentials and visa of Melissa Chan, its sole correspondent, and allow a replacement journalist.

    Expressing disappointment at the Chinese government’s decision, Al Jazeera English said it has been requesting additional visas for correspondents for some time and which has not been obliged with.

    The news broadcaster said it will continue to work with Chinese authorities to re-open the Beijing bureau.

    Al Jazeera said Melissa Chan, who has been Al Jazeera English’s China correspondent since 2007, has filed nearly 400 reports covering stories about the economy, domestic politics, foreign policy, the environment, social justice, labour rights and human rights.

    Al Jazeera English Director Salah Negm said, “We’ve been doing a first class job at covering all stories in China. Our editorial DNA includes covering all stories from all sides. We constantly cover the voice of the voiceless and sometimes that calls for tough news coverage from anywhere in world.

    “We hope China appreciates the integrity of our news coverage and our journalism. We value this journalist integrity in our coverage of all countries in the world. We are committed to our coverage of China. Just as China news services cover the world freely we would expect that same freedom in China for any Al Jazeera journalist.”

    The ruling Communist party in China, which has long been known as hostile to international media, has found itself to be at loggerheads with foreign media many times.

    The Communist party has been giving state broadcaster CCTV and the official Xinhua News Agency a major push into foreign language media in a bid to spread its own pro-China take on domestic and international events.

    The move “seems to be taking China’s anti-media policies to a new level,” said Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia coordinator Bob Dietz in a statement.

    According to Dietz, Chan’s case “marks a real deterioration in China’s media environment and sends a message that international coverage is unwanted”.

    The last time a journalist was expelled was when a German and a Japanese reporter were expelled in late 1998.

    According to Associated Press, Chan has left China for California, where she will be taking up a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University.

    China had pledged to relax restrictions on foreign journalists as part of its hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics, but changes have been minor and conditions have in some ways grown even more hostile.

  • Al Jazeera appoints Motivator & Ogilvy as AoR

    Al Jazeera appoints Motivator & Ogilvy as AoR

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera has awarded its media duties to GroupM’s media agency, Motivator. Meanwhile, the creative duties will be handled by Ogilvy.

    Industry sources confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com.

    Al Jazeera English is an international news channel, holding over 70 bureaus around the world which span six different continents. Launched in 2006, it broadcasts to over 250 million households across 130 countries, a number that is expected to grow as the channel expands throughout India.

    The international news provider has operated a bureau in New Delhi since its establishment five years ago.

  • Aidem Ventures to handle ad sales for Al Jazeera in India

    Aidem Ventures to handle ad sales for Al Jazeera in India

    MUMBAI: Aidem Ventures is appointed as Al Jazeera’s India media representative for its English and other flagship channels. These channels include Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera Documentary and Al Jazeera Mobasher.

    Al Jazeera English was granted a licence by the Government of India in December 2010 to broadcast in India for the first time.

    Announcing the appointment Group Media General Manager at q.media, the media representative of Al Jazeera Channels Jaber Al-Ansari, said,”We are excited to establish our business presence in India with the appointment of Aidem Ventures as our representative in India. This partnership reflects q.media’s ambition to pursue Al Jazeera’s successful global expansion and to meet Indian based companies’ needs for a prestigious media platform like Al Jazeera English Channel to market their brands to a global audience”.

    Al Jazeera English currently has a bureau and a distribution office in New Delhi. Al Jazeera English is the first English language world news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East.

    Aidem Ventures director Vikas Khanchandani said,”We are delighted to be entrusted with the mandate to develop the advertising potential of an iconic and credible media brand like AJE in India. As India continues to integrate strongly with the world economy, more and more Indian companies and brands will be looking to expand their footprint globally and will be seeking robust global media platforms to build their brands. Aidem, with its extensive experience and track record in the news genre, is best equipped to partner with Al Jazeera in their foray into the Indian market.”

    Launched in November 2006, Al Jazeera English seeks to present every side and every angle to its stories and act as a bridge between cultures. With unique access, making it the channel of reference for Middle East events, and 65 bureaus strategically placed around the world, Al Jazeera English laims to provide independent and impartial news for a global audience, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.

    Al Jazeera English is available in more than 100 countries to more than 220 million households worldwide. The channel was awarded”Best 24 Hour News Programme” at the 48th and 50th Annual Monte Carlo Television Festival and has received awards from the Royal Television Society, Amnesty International and YouTube.

    The channel has also received a total of six International Emmy nominations in the News, Documentary and Current Affairs categories.

  • Al Jazeera bids $21 million for Turkish TV

    Al Jazeera bids $21 million for Turkish TV

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera has offered $21 million to acquire the Turkish channel Cine 5.

    The Qatar-based news network was the only party to place a bid for Cine 5, which is being auctioned off for the fifth time.  
         
      The amount Al Jazeera is willing to pay is just over half the $40 million being sought by the Savings Deposit and Insurance Fund (SDIF).

    The bid is set to be referred to a higher board on 4 February, which would decide whether to dismiss the bargain or continue further.

    Even if the bid fails, Al Jazeera plans to launch broadcast in Turkish in the first quarter of this year.
      

  • Al Jazeera wins America in people-style coverage of Egyptian revolution

    Al Jazeera wins America in people-style coverage of Egyptian revolution

    MUMBAI: The coverage of the Egyptian revolution has done for Al Jazeera what Vietnam War did for American media and Gulf War for CNN.

    The Western media‘s countless criticism of the Qatar-based satellite channel has bitten dust in the face of the network’s relentless coverage of the event.
         
      From the instant the Egyptian demonstration began, Al Jazeera English had more reporters and cameraman on ground than any other network, walking with the protesters and covering every moment of the historical episode.

    During the initial days of the coverage, American media used Al Jazeera video and referred to its content with admiration, usually reserved for the BBC. Since then the 5-year-old network has dedicated itself to covering the unfolding events almost 24 hours a day.

    Well-known Western broadcasters have been reporting on the demonstrations sweeping across Egypt but it’s the Arab channel that has enthralled viewers around the world with its steady coverage.

    The news teams remained embedded with the public, capturing their stories, giving the wider audience a chance to relate and find meaning with the events taking place in one of the oldest civilizations of the World.

    Al Jazeera reporters are covering the winds of change, changing locations and reporting with stealth to evade arrests and confiscation of equipments.

    The channel’s bureau in Cairo is shut and its journalists were arrested and equipments confiscated, though they were released later.

    The Mubarak government even jammed Al Jazeera’s signals from NileSat, the state-owned satellite carrier, hindering its ability to be easily available in Egypt and North Africa.

    But the channel reappeared through other carriers, as instructions on how to find the channel went viral through the Internet.

    Al Jazeera surely has won new fans across the United States for its up-close, around-the-clock coverage of the protests in Egypt. But almost none of the cable or satellite companies in the United States carry the channel.

    According to Huffington Post, Al Jazeera English website has witnessed a 2000 per cent increase in hits.

    While millions of Americans switched to their computers, many don’t have the option of watching the uprising on their TV sets as Al Jazeera is not available in the majority of the 50 states for general public view.

    Albeit the channel is available through YouTube’s special service of live streaming for the channel, supplementing the channel’s own Web stream.

    Says Al Jazeera Network director general Wadah Khanfar, “The past month has shown us something that America can no longer ignore: millions of Americans want to watch our channel and better understand our region, and too many are deprived of that opportunity.”

    Launched in Qatar in 1996, Al Jazeera has more than 400 reporters in over 60 countries, according to its website. It says it can reach 220 million households in more than 100 countries.

  • Al Jazeera faces ban in turbulent Egypt

    Al Jazeera faces ban in turbulent Egypt

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera, the news channel known for its bold and controversial content, is banned in Egypt amid a wave of people protests against the dictatorial rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

    The Arabic TV channel telecast live reports from Cairo and other Egyptian cities swept by anti-government protests, interviewed opposition leaders and protestors and provided exclusive information on riots, lootings and victims in Egypt.

    In a swift move, the government, keen to contain the spreading unrest, banned the channel that has been prompt in reporting the anti-government protests.

    According to a government communiqué, the accreditations of Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt have been cancelled and the TV channel’s access to satellite communication has been closed.

    The channel was a major news source for Egyptians, as it had the largest network of correspondents across Egypt.

    The pan-Arab channel, owned by the Emir of Qatar, was quick to denounce Egypt’s move as “silencing the voices of the Egyptian people.”

    Al Jazeera has become a pwerful force in the Middle East and is often criticised for biased reporting and pursuing an openly populist agenda. But it is also, perhaps, the first channel to reach into homes across the region, outplaying the tightly controlled state media.

  • Al Jazeera, France 24 get I&B nod to beam in India

    Al Jazeera, France 24 get I&B nod to beam in India

     MUMBAI: Al Jazeera and France 24 have finally got approval to beam their English language channels in India.

    The Information and Broadcasting Ministry granted the downlink licence last week, paving the way for the cable and satellite companies in India to add these channels to their lineup.

    For Al Jazeera, it has been a four-year wait. The India feed will allow Indian audiences to view the channel that is known for a slant to news that is different from the western style of presentation.

    “This is an exciting breakthrough that has been in the works for several years, and we are extremely pleased that Al Jazeera English‘s groundbreaking news and programming will soon be available in India,” Al Jazeera English MD Al Anstey said.

    Al Jazeera had applied for government approval way back in 2006.  
         
      “We know there is a great demand for our content. Through our dedicated resources in India, Al Jazeera is already presenting important stories from India to our global audience in more than 100 countries,” said Anstey.

    The company is expecting to reach to over 115 million households in India. “With the prospect of reaching an estimated 115 million households in India, this important market will be significant as we continue to expand our global reach,” India region distribution head Diana Hosker said.

    Al Jazeera English currently has a bureau in New Delhi, headed by Anmol Saxena.

    Saxena said, “With India‘s increasing engagement in world affairs and strong interest in international events, we are certain that Al Jazeera English will have a substantial following throughout the country.”

    Al Jazeera English was launched in 2006 and today has 65 news bureaus around the world. The channel has over 1,000 employees worldwide, representing more than 50 nationalities. The channel is currently available in over 100 countries, reaching more than 220 million households around the world.

    As for France 24, it will broadcast in English in India. Primarily broadcast in Europe from December 2006, France 24 is broadcast across the world round-the-clock with the same content in French, English and Arabic.
     
     

  • Al Jazeera waits for govt nod for launch in India

    Al Jazeera waits for govt nod for launch in India

     MUMBAI: Al Jazeera is eyeing entry into the Indian market, an important piece in its expansion plans, and is awaiting government clearance.

    The Doha, Qatar-based TV network has expressed its serious commitment to tap the Indian market as the managing director recently flew down to India, apparently to press for the channel‘s clearance.

    Al Jazeera is keen to launch its English-language television news channel as it believes that it has the right content positioning to draw in Indian audiences that are tired of the American and western presentation of news.

    Hopeful of getting the government nod, Al Jazeera has made efforts to link up with the cable TV operators who control distribution of channels into the consumer homes. While the direct-to-home (DTH) platform has access to 26 million homes, cable winds its way into a whopping 86 million households.  

     Al Jazeera recently put up a stall at SCaTIndia, India‘s largest cable TV trade show hosted annually in Mumbai.

    For Al Jazeera, India has been a hard love story. The network applied for a downlinking licence way back in 2006 through its India-registered arm AJI International, but has found it difficult to appease the government mandarins.

    The network also has plans to launch an Urdu news channel primarily targeted at India. The channel already partners Hindi news channel India TV through a September 2004 deal that allows both channels to broadcast each other‘s content.

    Al Jazeera attracted international attention when it broadcast video statements from Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of the Al Qaeda terror group after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.
     

  • Sami al Haj is Al Jazeera news producer

    Sami al Haj is Al Jazeera news producer

    MUMBAI: Middle East news broadcaster Al Jazeera has named Sami al Haj as news producer for the newly created ‘Liberties and Human Rights Affairs’ desk.

    Sami al Haj, a journalist by profession, was recently released from Guantanamo Bay after six years of detention.

    The creation of this position will further enhance the broadcaster’s coverage of human rights issues, providing an avenue for the network to put the concerns and suffering of real people back at the centre of the global news agenda, claims Al Jazeera.

    In his new capacity, Sami will follow human rights and civil liberties issues closely with an aim to produce features and documentaries that raise public awareness and educate people regarding human rights. The features and documentaries will encapsulate issues raising from international, legal and political debates that take place in global centres of power.

    Sami al Haj says, “I am thrilled to be working for Al Jazeera again and to be working on issues that matter so dearly to me. Obviously, the protection of human rights and civil liberties is extremely important, and I hope to use my new position as a vehicle to show the world that human rights abuses still occur all over the globe. Hopefully, through this work, Al Jazeera can play some role in helping people around the world who have suffered too long in silence.”

    “We are pleased to have Sami back at work, performing a role that is very important to Al Jazeera. The network has always strived to provide a voice to the voiceless and to tell the story of the weak and abused, and by creating this new position, we are further demonstrating this commitment. We hope that our work will help those who feel alone and realize that they have friends and allies who care about their plight,” adds Al Jazeera Network DG Wadah Khanfar.

  • Al Jazeera’s Wadah Khanfar to deliver MGEITF worldview address

    Al Jazeera’s Wadah Khanfar to deliver MGEITF worldview address

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera Network DG Wadah Khanfar will give the Worldview Address at this year’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, which takes place from 22 – 24 August 2008.

    In his Worldview Address, which offers a global view of the television business, Khanfar will discuss the international news media and its increased obsession with superficial and ‘immediate’ reporting, looking at whether the profession is in need of a serious overhaul.

    Khanfar believes there is a “growing disinterest in the news and its analysis” and will offer a prescription for how international journalism needs to be overhauled, in particular the need to consider the social, cultural and historical dynamics of societies when reporting conflict.

    The Al Jazeera Network includes the flagship Al Jazeera Arabic Channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Sports, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Documentary as well as Al Jazeera.net. During his tenure, Khanfar has seen Al Jazeera Arabic’s audience grow to over 50 million peak viewers and also oversaw the launch of Al Jazeera English, which now reaches over 110 million households globally.

    The MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival offers delegates a programme of topical debates, masterclasses, keynote lectures and networking opportunities from leading UK and international media figures. The Festival programme is developed by an Advisory Committee made up of individuals from across the industry such as Left Bank MD Andy Harries, Brighter Pictures MD David Flynn, Outline Productions Joint Managing Director Helen Veale and Magic Lantern Creative Director Russell Stopford. The committee is chaired by C4 Head of Factual Entertainment Andrew Mackenzie.

    The MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival is a delegate entry event which annually attracts over 2000 delegates from all sectors and levels of the industry including a range of terrestrial broadcasters, cable, satellite and digital companies and independent producers.