Following the passing of Qatar’s Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, his founding of the Al Jazeera News Channel stands as a defining geopolitical and cultural milestone.Launched in 1996, the channel ended the states’ monopoly on broadcasting in the Middle East and challenged the hegemony of Western media in shaping the region’s narrative.Within a few years, Al Jazeera had grown into one of the world’s most influential media organisations and in July 2005, it officially became known as Al Jazeera Media Network.In a statement on Sunday, the network’s director general mourned its founder, praising his unprecedented boldness in reshaping the region’s media landscape.“He was the visionary behind the original idea and the one who laid the foundations of this great media institution,” said Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani.“Sheikh Hamad recognised the power of the word and the vital role of free and independent media in shaping societies and enlightening minds,” the statement read.”We recall his words at the Network’s twenty fifth’s anniversary … speaking with pride of all that Al Jazeera had achieved and describing the Network as the greatest Arab media endeavour.”‘Not a traditional Gulf official’The foundation for this media revolution was laid well before Al Jazeera’s first broadcast. Mohamed Krishan, a founding anchor, recalled a meeting with Sheikh Hamad in 1993 when he was still Q …
