🇶🇦 Al Jazeera

About Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera Media Network is a Qatari news organization founded in 1996 by the then-Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and is primarily funded by the Qatari government. It operates as a 'private foundation for public benefit' under Qatari law, but remains under the full ownership of the Emir, with board appointments ratified by him.

Media Bias/Fact Check rates Al Jazeera as Left-Center biased with mixed factual reporting, noting a tendency to favor the left and a strong editorial bias that favors Qatar, while generally avoiding criticism of the Qatari government. AllSides also identifies a Lean Left bias, citing emotionalism, slant, spin, and bias by omission. Critics argue its Arabic-language content is particularly influenced by Qatari foreign policy and promotes specific agendas, such as that of the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite claims of editorial independence, the network's state funding and ownership in a country with a 'not free' press environment, as assessed by Freedom House, raise concerns about its autonomy.