Did Al-Jazeera Mubasher adhere to own code of ethics?

Al-Jazeera, which derives its name from the Arabian Peninsula, was established in April 1996, with the support of the Government of Qatar, and with a budget of more than 150 million riyals.

Since the beginning of its satellite broadcast, Al Jazeera has raised the slogan “The Opinion and the Other Opinion,” and its slogan has been practically embodied in many talk shows that Arab viewers were unfamiliar with.

Officially, the channel has been hostile to most Arab governments, and has been accused of encouraging opposition on the one hand, and offending rulers and leaders on the other. Some Al-Jazeera offices in a number of Arab capitals were subjected to temporary closure, on charges of broadcasting malicious or incorrect news.

Despite this influence, which cannot be denied or ignored, other sectors expressed reservations about Al Jazeera's policy of openness to Israel, and found that this constitutes an indirect circumvention to achieve a degree of popularly rejected normalization. The channel also took dramatic interest in Salafism and promoting extremist ideas.

In 2007, Al-Jazeera adopted the following code of ethics:

1- Adhere to the journalistic values of honesty, courage, fairness, balance, independence, credibility and diversity, giving no priority to commercial or political over professional consideration.

2- Endeavour to get to the truth and declare it in our dispatches, programs and news bulletins unequivocally in a manner which leaves no doubt about its validity and accuracy.

3- Treat our audiences with due respect and address every issue or story with due attention to present a clear, factual and accurate picture while giving full consideration to the feelings of victims of crime, war, persecution and disaster, their relatives and our viewers, and to individual privacies and public decorum.

4- Welcome fair and honest media competition without allowing it to affect adversely our standards of performance and thereby having a “scoop” would not become an end in itself.

5- Present the diverse points of view and opinions without bias and partiality.

6- Recognize diversity in human societies with all their races, cultures and beliefs and their values and intrinsic individualities so as to present unbiased and faithful reflection of them. 

7- Acknowledge a mistake when it occurs, promptly correct it and ensure it does not recur.

8- Observe transparency in dealing with the news and its sources while adhering to the internationally established practices concerning the rights of these sources. 

9- Distinguish between news material, opinion and analysis to avoid the snares of speculation and propaganda. 

10- Stand by colleagues in the profession and give them support when required, particularly in the light of the acts of aggression and harassment to which journalists are subjected at times. Cooperate with Arab and international journalistic unions and associations to defend freedom of the press.

So, did the workers in the channel apply those principles embodied in their code of ethics?!

Satellite channels, and the media in general, play a very important role in consolidating the stereotyped image of the media and the attitude towards it, and the role is increasing with the growing popularity and growth of media outlets.

What is Al Jazeera's stance on terrorism? What is the mental stereotype that it seeks to perpetuate and support?!

In an episode of the Opposite Direction program about the extent to which Al-Qaeda's bombings abuse Islam, the episode bears a title in the form of questions that it seeks to answer, such as: Did Osama bin Laden abuse Islam or serve it?

What is remarkable, in Faisal Al-Qasim’s presentation of the episode, is that he presents the two opposing viewpoints without equality.

The space allocated for presenting the opinions of supporters of Osama bin Laden and his organization amounts to more than two hundred words, and the number of words through which the counter point of view is presented does not exceed a little more than a hundred!

If we move to the objective aspect, we will notice that the ideas that prove support and sympathy are more consistent and coherent, as well as relying on vocabulary that has an emotional religious influence.

Is this not the meaning that can be inferred and extracted from formations such as:

- Did not bin Laden achieve for Islam what the Islamic call did not achieve for many decades?

- Did people not convert to Islam after the events of America?

- Did not thousands of Westerners surrender thanks to him?

How can the viewer of the program face this torrent of positive, defensive thoughts, and the information it contains for which there is no evidence of authenticity?

On the other hand, the language of bin Laden's opponents, as formulated by Dr. Faisal, is characterized by a great deal of confusion, imbalance, lack of accuracy and clarity.

If excitement is the goal, the "Opposite Direction" program has achieved its goal, but noise cannot be considered a goal. The real ambition is to discuss a sensitive and thorny issue, such as terrorism, from two different perspectives and with a balanced objective vision.

In fact, this is the essence of the channel’s orientation, its owners and those in charge of it, which is what we warn of. The issue we have is not to close Al Jazeera Mubasher, as much as to put an end to a philosophy that has been expressed by the state and the channel for several years.