In the minutes after the Qatari minister of transportation threatened to cut off Al Jazeera and hold its journalists accountable, the network began discussing new plans to please the Qatari government. In the SLAY working paper, Al Jazeera discussed plans to change their coverage and portray Qatar in a more positive light.
One of the clauses in the paper involves Al Jazeera hiring an economist from the greater Middle East to speak about why Qatar is an ideal nation to move to because of its strong resources. They also hope to create a project to tell stories and traditions from Qatar to ensure its history is portrayed in the best light possible.
All after the government threatened to fire the Board of Directors and hold them hostage.
The editorial opinion of the Moscow Times is that when dictatorships begin threatening the well-being of journalists, the journalists’ lives take precedence over adherence to the truth. Al Jazeera has implemented some workarounds to ensure journalistic integrity, such as company-wide surveys to identify points of reform in stories, such as impartiality and bias. However, these workarounds are anonymous and could easily be manipulated by the Qatari government. Furthermore, describing investment opportunities in Qatar may enrich the government to further suppress the views of journalists.
In another working paper, titled “We Address Takeover Evacuation” (We ATE), Al Jazeera has laid out plans to leave the country in case the government attempts to falsely imprison or harm the journalists. However, the Moscow Times believes that this must be the action taken if Qatar’s money continues to suppress the voice of journalists. Censorship naturally degrades reporting; the Balkans Director even questioned, “have we defined journalistic standards for hiring?” If Al Jazeera hopes to maintain serious coverage and be considered a voice of the Arab World, it must have the courage to leave Qatar and establish its own independence as a network.