AL JAZEERA RESPONDS TO BEING TAKEN OFF AIR IN EGYPT

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

AL JAZEERA RESPONDS TO BEING TAKEN OFF AIR IN EGYPT

 Doha, Qatar, 30 January, 2011 - Al Jazeera has stated its “utter disappointment” with the blockage of its signal on Nilesat and sees this as a further attempt to hinder and obstruct the carriage of its reporting coming out of Egypt.  Al Jazeera said the move was a reaction to how widely its coverage was being watched. They have more reporters on the ground across Egypt than any other network.

Earlier today Al Jazeera’s bureau in Cairo was closed by the Egyptian government in an attempt to stifle and obstruct freedom of reporting by the network and its journalists. The Network said it retained the right to take any available legal measures to reverse the move.

Wadah Khanfar, Director General of the Al Jazeera Network said:

“Regardless of the multiple attempts by the Egyptian authorities to deter and impede our reporting, Al Jazeera continues its comprehensive coverage of the landmark events unfolding in Egypt.” 

Earlier in a company-wide communication to staff Mr. Khanfar stated:

“This news should not be met with disappointment, but instead be used as fuel for further impetus, galvanizing our courageous Network to continue to best tell the story of the changing face of Egyptian politics.

“Under very trying circumstances we have delivered the highest standard of reporting from Egypt which has gripped our growing global audience. Even in such a short space of time we can be proud of our achievements, level of professionalism and sophistication in covering the significant developments in Egypt.”

 --ENDS--

Notes

1. To further enhance its coverage of the unfolding events in Egypt, Al Jazeera has made available to bloggers, activists, and citizen journalists the following ways to send their images and stories to Al Jazeera: 

·              Arabic content can be submitted to: sharek.aljazeera.net

·              English content can be submitted to:  yourmedia.aljazeera.net

·              On phone to +974-4489-6190 or +974-4489-6192

2. Engineers have announced that they have successfully restored Al Jazeera to new frequencies:

a) New frequency for AJA & AJM on Nilesat 7W:
10949 vertical   (new)
SR: 27.500 Msps
FEC: 3/4

b) New frequency for AJA & AJM on Arabsat 26E:
11585 vertical   (new)
SR: 27.500 Msps
FEC: 3/4

c) Arabic and Mubasher on Hotbird:
12111 MHz Vertical (Old)
SR: 27.500 Msps
FEC: 3/4

d) Arabic and Mubasher on Arabsat Badr4 (Old):
12034 MHz Horizontal
SR: 27.500
FEC: 3/4

e) Arabic and Mubasher on Arabsat Badr4 (Old):
11996 MHz Horizontal
SR: 27.500
FEC: 3/4

 About Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera started out more than fourteen years ago as the first independent Arabic news channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive television news and live debate for the Arab world. Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network in March 2006, transforming its operation into an international media corporation.  The Al Jazeera Network now consists of the flagship Al Jazeera Satellite (Arabic) channel, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.