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Doha (pte020/27.04.2005/11:50) - Qatar is considering privatising its satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera due to pressure from the US and an advertising boycott by Arab countries offended by its critical coverage. As the Media Guardian http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk reports, reporters at the station fear that if the channel is privatised, commercial pressures could force it to tone down its coverage. Al Jazeera's coverage of politics in recent times has caused Qatar to be locked in disputes with almost all of its neighbours, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to Wadah Khanfar, the station's director, the consultancy firm Ernst and Young has been hired to look into possible privatisation models, though he said no final decision had yet been taken.
Reporters fear that the power of advertisers and shareholders could lead to self-censorship if the channel is privatised. Due to its taboo-breaking coverage, Al-Jazeera has an audience of 35-40 million viewers but attracts few advertisers. Saudi Arabia are leading the de facto advert boycott, which Al-Jazeera's head of business news, Ahmed Abdul Mohsen al-Qady, described as "the only thing that Arab information ministers can all agree on". In the absence of advert revenues, a government subsidy keeps the station afloat. It is also feared that powerful Saudis could buy the station if shares are floated on Qatar's stock market.
Some people say that the station represents a big step forward for Arab democracy, which Washington advocates. "Al-Jazeera has hijacked the role of the mosque as the primary source of information and views. Al-Jazeera is the only political process in the Middle East," said Moufac Harb, director of Al-Jazeera's US-funded rival Al-Hurra. In a region where there is intense anti-US sentiment, a private sector Al-Jazeera could well be more critical of the superpower. At present, the station invites US officials to put forward their point of view. "They have shown five hours of Bin Laden's speeches in total - and 500 hours of Bush," said Hugh Miles, the author of "Al Jazeera: How Arab TV Challenged The World".
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