FOREIGN POLICY: Is Al Jazeera
an anti-American news channel?

Wadah Khanfar: Definitely not. We dont see ourselves
as carrying any politics. We are a group of journalists. Most of us were educated
in the United States or Western universities, and we have taken many techniques
from Western media and from American media, in particular, so I dont
see Al Jazeera as anti-American.

FP: Al Jazeera and the United
States Alhurra are both government funded. How are they different?

WK: First of all, we celebrate competition. Because when you
look at yourself as the main television station in the region, you love to see
others competing with you so [that] you maintain your motivation. Yes, Al Jazeera
is funded by Qatar, but Qatar understood from the beginning that if [it] used
Al Jazeera as an arm of Qatari foreign policy, [it] would lose Al Jazeera and
[its] investment. Many governments in the region fund TV stations, but they
use it for their own purposes and lose their audience. Al Jazeera has its reputation
not because of some magnificent technology. It is only because of the freedom
that our newsroom journalists and reporters have. And we are going to maintain
it, and I think Qatar understands that.

FP: Does Al Jazeera believe that
the U.S. military targets its journalists?



WK:
We
dont
have
a
definite
answer
to
that.
However,
since
the
bombing
of
our
bureau
in
Kabul
and
the
bombing
of
our
bureau
in
Iraq,
where
one
of
our
colleagues
was
killed,
we
have
not
received
any
apologies
[from
the
U.S.
government].
The
matter
has
not
been
investigated.
I
think
there
is
a
lot
of
bitterness
[among
our
colleagues]
regarding
the
bombing
of
those
two
bureaus.

FP: Why do Osama bin Ladens
tapes always come to Al Jazeera and no one else?

WK: In fact, Osama bin Laden tapes do not go to Al Jazeera
only. They have gone to many other networks in the region, and many times other
networks broadcast bin Ladens tapes before us. That is important to correct.
[Our] editorial policy is very clear. We dont broadcast bin Ladens
tapes as is; we edit them. Sometimes I receive a tape of 40 minutes and I broadcast
2 minutes because that is the newsworthy item. So it is not a platform for propaganda.

FP: Al Jazeera has been accused
of breathing oxygen into the terrorist cause. How do you respond to that?

WK: Why dont we say that Al Jazeera is the most important
instrument in pushing freedom of expression, reform, and democracy in the Arab
world? That is what Al Jazeera has actually done. This kind of accusation can
never be accepted. Even when you speak about tapes that have been broadcast
on Al Jazeera, you are still defying a discourse. But now [we] are putting it
into context, concentrating on newsworthy items, asking people to comment, and
hosting people who will argue [both sides of an issue]. So [we] are really creating
a culture of much more open-minded thinking.

FP: How can the United States
improve its image among Al Jazeera viewers?

WK: Through introducing proper policies.

FP: Can you give an example?

WK: Once the people in the street feel that American policies
in the region are fair, the image of America will change. Most Arabs look up
to America as a source of education and inspiration. They would like to send
their children there. They listen to American videos and movies. But when it
comes to American foreign policy, that is another matter.

FP: There is talk of privatizing
Al Jazeera in the near future. Can Al Jazeera survive as a private entity?

WK: No TV stationno news channel in the regioncan
survive as a private entity without government support right now. We dont
have any problem with government funding, as long as it does not affect our
editorial independence. But I would argue that Al Jazeera has created a great
brand name. We have asked consultants and advisors to find out how could we
utilize this brand name in generating moneynot necessarily from the channel
itself, but from other channels that could be established or from other institutions
that could build on the brand name of Al Jazeera.

FP: It has to now be one of the
most recognizable brands in the world. Do you know where it ranks?

WK: We have been ranked as something like the fifth [most
recognizable] brand name internationally. So definitely it is very high.

FP: Do Fox News and Al Jazeera
take a similar approach to news reporting?

WK: We dont actually report our opinion. We have a
very complete, coherent, and solid understanding of what are professional standards.
Besides that, we have a training center that trained more than 1,200 journalists
last year in order to raise the skills of professionalism. So Al Jazeera is
a professional network. It has introduced professionalism as the most important
criterion for quality journalism in the region. Before, a journalist would be
bought and sold by politicians and by businessmen, but now, a lot of our bureaus
have been closed in Arab countries, but we have never changed our policy. Our
bureau was closed in Iraq, but our coverage has never changednever pro
or against. Thats what made 70 percent of the Arab audience watch Al
Jazeera. I dont really watch Fox News.