Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; Arabic: الجزيرة, romanized: Al-Jazīrah [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], lit. 'The Island' or 'The Peninsula') is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which provide coverage of regional and international news, along with analysis, documentaries, and talk shows. In addition to its television channels, Al Jazeera has expanded its digital presence with platforms such as AJ+, catering to younger audiences with formats and content tailored for online consumption. Al Jazeera broadcasts in over 150 countries and territories, and has a large global audience of over 430 million people.

Originally conceived as a satellite TV channel delivering Arabic news and current affairs, it has since evolved into a multifaceted media network encompassing various platforms such as online, specialized television channels in numerous languages, and more. The network's news operation currently has 70 bureaus around the world that are shared between the network's channels and operations, making it one of the largest collections of bureaus among media companies globally.

AJMN receives public funding from the Qatar government. While critics often view Al Jazeera Arabic as being influenced by Qatar’s foreign policy, Al Jazeera English is seen as editorially independent. The network has often been targeted by foreign governments upset with its reporting. During the Qatar diplomatic crisis, several Arab countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade. One of their demands was the closure of Al Jazeera. Other media networks have spoken out against this demand.

The original Al Jazeera Satellite Channel (then called JSC or Jazeera Satellite Channel) was launched on 1 November 1996. The creation of the new Arabic news network followed the closure of the first BBC Arabic language television station, then a joint venture with Orbit Communications Company, owned by Saudi King Fahd's cousin, Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud. The BBC channel had closed after a year and a half when the Saudi government attempted to thwart a documentary pertaining to executions under sharia law.

The founder of Al Jazeera News Network is Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani the Emir of that State of Qatar and head of the Al Thani Qatari Royal Family. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, provided a loan of QAR 500 million ($137 million) to sustain Al Jazeera through its first five years, as Hugh Miles detailed in his book Al Jazeera: The Inside Story of the Arab News Channel That Is Challenging the West.

Al Jazeera's first day on air was 1 November 1996. It offered six hours of programming per day which would increase to 12 hours by the end of 1997. It was broadcast to the immediate neighborhood as a terrestrial signal, and on cable, as well as through satellites (which was also free to users in the Arab world). 1 January 1999 was Al Jazeera's first day of 24-hour broadcasting. Employment had more than tripled in one year to 500 employees, and the agency had bureaus at a dozen sites as far as EU and Russia. Its annual budget was estimated at $25 million at the time.

Al Jazeera covered the Arab spring more than any other news outlets and had a significant role in spreading the Arab uprising. Al Jazeera was the leading media spreading the news about unrest in a small city in Tunisia throughout the Middle East in 2011.

People in the Middle East have heavily relied on Al Jazeera to obtain news about their regions and the world even more than YouTube and Google. Hillary Clinton, who at the time of the Arab Spring was the U.S. Secretary of State stated that Al Jazeera "has been the leader in that [it is] literally changing people’s minds and attitudes. And like it or hate it, it is really effective."