this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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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.