Al Jazeeras Brand Name News

FOREIGN POLICY: Is Al Jazeera an anti-American news channel?

Wadah Khanfar: Definitely not. We dont see ourselves as carrying any politics. We are a group of journalists. Most of us were educated in the United States or Western universities, and we have taken many techniques from Western media and from American media, in particular, so I dont see Al Jazeera as anti-American.

FP: Al Jazeera and the United States Alhurra are both government funded. How are they different?

WK: First of all, we celebrate competition. Because when you look at yourself as the main television station in the region, you love to see others competing with you so [that] you maintain your motivation. Yes, Al Jazeera is funded by Qatar, but Qatar understood from the beginning that if [it] used Al Jazeera as an arm of Qatari foreign policy, [it] would lose Al Jazeera and [its] investment. Many governments in the region fund TV stations, but they use it for their own purposes and lose their audience. Al Jazeera has its reputation not because of some magnificent technology. It is only because of the freedom that our newsroom journalists and reporters have. And we are going to maintain it, and I think Qatar understands that.

FP: Does Al Jazeera believe that the U.S. military targets its journalists?

WK: We dont have a definite answer to that. However, since the bombing of our bureau in Kabul and the bombing of our bureau in Iraq, where one of our colleagues was killed, we have not received any apologies [from the U.S. government]. The matter has not been investigated. I think there is a lot of bitterness [among our colleagues] regarding the bombing of those two bureaus.

FP: Why do Osama bin Ladens tapes always come to Al Jazeera and no one else?

WK: In fact, Osama bin Laden tapes do not go to Al Jazeera only. They have gone to many other networks in the region, and many times other networks broadcast bin Ladens tapes before us. That is important to correct. [Our] editorial policy is very clear. We dont broadcast bin Ladens tapes as is; we edit them. Sometimes I receive a tape of 40 minutes and I broadcast 2 minutes because that is the newsworthy item. So it is not a platform for propaganda.

FP: Al Jazeera has been accused of breathing oxygen into the terrorist cause. How do you respond to that?

WK: Why dont we say that Al Jazeera is the most important instrument in pushing freedom of expression, reform, and democracy in the Arab world? That is what Al Jazeera has actually done. This kind of accusation can never be accepted. Even when you speak about tapes that have been broadcast on Al Jazeera, you are still defying a discourse. But now [we] are putting it into context, concentrating on newsworthy items, asking people to comment, and hosting people who will argue [both sides of an issue]. So [we] are really creating a culture of much more open-minded thinking.

FP: How can the United States improve its image among Al Jazeera viewers?

WK: Through introducing proper policies.

FP: Can you give an example?

WK: Once the people in the street feel that American policies in the region are fair, the image of America will change. Most Arabs look up to America as a source of education and inspiration. They would like to send their children there. They listen to American videos and movies. But when it comes to American foreign policy, that is another matter.

FP: There is talk of privatizing Al Jazeera in the near future. Can Al Jazeera survive as a private entity?

WK: No TV stationno news channel in the regioncan survive as a private entity without government support right now. We dont have any problem with government funding, as long as it does not affect our editorial independence. But I would argue that Al Jazeera has created a great brand name. We have asked consultants and advisors to find out how could we utilize this brand name in generating moneynot necessarily from the channel itself, but from other channels that could be established or from other institutions that could build on the brand name of Al Jazeera.

FP: It has to now be one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Do you know where it ranks?

WK: We have been ranked as something like the fifth [most recognizable] brand name internationally. So definitely it is very high.

FP: Do Fox News and Al Jazeera take a similar approach to news reporting?

WK: We dont actually report our opinion. We have a very complete, coherent, and solid understanding of what are professional standards. Besides that, we have a training center that trained more than 1,200 journalists last year in order to raise the skills of professionalism. So Al Jazeera is a professional network. It has introduced professionalism as the most important criterion for quality journalism in the region. Before, a journalist would be bought and sold by politicians and by businessmen, but now, a lot of our bureaus have been closed in Arab countries, but we have never changed our policy. Our bureau was closed in Iraq, but our coverage has never changednever pro or against. Thats what made 70 percent of the Arab audience watch Al Jazeera. I dont really watch Fox News.