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Al Jazeera English Approved in Canada
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission [CRTC] has approved Al Jazeera English [AJE] for listing on its “Eligible Satellite Services,” the news network announced Thursday.
AJE has already received multiple indications from Canadian distributors that want to include the Arabic news channel as part of their services.
The move follows a 30-day period which saw 98% of Canadians send positive feedback for AJE.
“The submission process demonstrated an overwhelming demand for the channel with 98% of the submissions, approximately 2,800 letters and emails, being positive,” a news release said.
Tony Burman, Managing Director of AJE and former Editor in Chief of CBC News, in a statement said “We are very excited that Canadians will soon have the same opportunities as people in more than 180 million households in more than 100 countries. For over three years, Al Jazeera English has been setting new standards in reporting by providing a platform for the under-represented corners of the world.”
“Over the last several months I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Canada and hear firsthand the great demand for our groundbreaking news and current affairs programming. We look forward to bringing AJE’s award-winning coverage to the Canadian people,” he added.
The Canadian Association of Journalists [CAJ] praised the decision.
“Allowing Al Jazeera English to broadcast on our airwaves is a big step toward serving our diverse population with news from parts of the world that just don’t get covered in Canada today,” said CAJ President Mary Agnes Welch.
The Canadian Journalists for Free Expression [CJFE], who wrote the CRTC in June 2009 in support of AJE, also praised the decision.
“We hail this decision as an indication that Canada welcomes access to a diversity of opinions and sources of news,” said CJFE President Arnold Amber.
In addition to the announcement, Al Jazeera has pledged to open a bureau in Canada, which signifies its commitment to providing Canadian news to a global auidience.
If confirmed, AJE will become the first news channel in the world to have a bureau in Canada.
AJE launched in 2006 and is the leading network the Middle East and Asia. It operates nearly 70 bureaus worldwide and is known for having one of the most diverse newsrooms, in terms of ethnicity, around the world.
Examiner.com