Originally published February 23 2006
Al-Jazeera unfazed by pressure from the U.S.
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In 2001 the Al-Jazeera bureau was bombed by warplanes, U.S. tanks have shelled Al-Jazeera journalists and Al-Jazeera reporters have been detained by U.S. forces. Despite this they claim their work will be unaffected.
An interesting, and sometimes tragic path has led to the success of Al-Jazeera since its launch in November 1996.
Its difficulties have also been its success; the ban from reporting in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Algeria has done nothing to reduce a fierce loyalty from more than 40 million viewers.
The Al-Jazeera bureau in Afghanistan was bombed by U.S. warplanes in 2001.
During the invasion of Iraq, U.S. tanks shelled Al-Jazeera journalists in a Basra hotel.
It has weathered verbal attacks from U.S. defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and from government officials in many countries in the Middle East..
U.S. President George W. Bush attempted to convince British Prime Minister Tony Blair to agree to bomb the headquarters of Al-Jazeera in Doha in Qatar in November that year, according to a report in Britain's Daily Mirror citing "top secret" minutes of the meeting where this was discussed.
At an Al-Jazeera forum on the media in Doha this week, IPS asked Samir Khader, programme editor for Al-Jazeera, if the report of a plan to attack their headquarters had affected their work.
"Do you think that because of such a memo we have to stop working," he said.
If the memo was true and George Bush wanted to bomb Jazeera, what can we do?
The official spokesman of the British government said there was nothing in that memo that referred to Al-Jazeera, and Tony Blair also said that in the House of Commons.
Managing director Wadah Khanfar told IPS there is a driving force within the media outlet that propels it through challenging times.
"If you, as a journalist, would like to be loyal to your profession, you know it is going to be difficult to get the story sometimes, but you have to do it anyway if it's at all possible."
This attitude prompted its reporters in Fallujah to obtain footage of civilians killed by U.S. soldiers.
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