What is Al-Jazeera Television?
Al Jazeera, which means “The Island” in Arabic, refering to the network’s status as the only independent news network in the Middle East, is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel with the same name, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the Internet and specialty TV channels in multiple languages, and in several regions of the world. The original Al Jazeera channel’s willingness to broadcast dissenting views, including on call-in shows, created controversies in Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The station gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it broadcast video statements by Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders (see Videos of Osama bin Laden).