this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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AJ is Qatari state media and a core component of Qatari statecraft, but AJ English and AJ Arabic serve different state policy projects.
Qatar's World Cup fiasco was an unusual stumble in their generally highly sophisticated and very effective western PR apparatus.
I say this to emphasize that Qatar uses AJ English to raise it's own respectability around the world, and is very mindful to NOT be seen abusing AJ English to blatantly and nakedly advancing Qatari state interests, although that can get a bit fuzzy around it's ME coverage at times. But overall, AJ English is supposed to help present Qatar as a moderate and reasonable government in the eyes Westerners.
Which, again, is why the World Cup was such a gigantic clusterfuck in the context of Qatari foreign policy.
Now, AJ's Arabic organization however is much more direct tool for Qatar to use in advancing Qatari interests in the region, and amongst the Arab world. It's not remotely held to the same western notions of "balanced journalistic" standards, as AJ English is.
That doesn't mean it's like OAN, or InfoWars, just that it's reporting and coverage is designed to fill a different niche of Qatari foreign policy.
Thank you to [email protected] and [email protected] for breaking this down so exhaustively. It was very helpful and informative.
You're absolutely right, I think Al Jazeera fills a similar niche as Japan's NHK and UK's BBC.
Sort of, but there is a significant difference: democracy vs monarchy.
For all of Japan's and the UK's problems, they're still democratic.
Qatar is a Gulf monarchy so the objective of Al Jazeera English is to give the false impression to it's western audience that Qatar shares any of the values that Western democracies do, or at least profess to.
Without BBC, the UK would still have elections and it's global reach to shape global opinions.
Japan would still be a democracy with gigantic cultural and (high tech) economic soft power.
Without Al Jazeera English, Qatar's global perception would entirely be shaped by oil, slavery, and the world cup.
Al Jazeera English pulls a lot more weight than the other two simply because it has to.
Edit: After bashing Qatar, I should circle back and reiterate that Al Jazeera English is generally high quality and reputable news organization. It should absolutely be ONE of the sources you consume.
Qatar sure fumbled their reputation at the World Cup from start to finish, if nothing else.