Release: Juliana Ruhfus

Al Jazeera English announces People and Power reporter Juliana Ruhfus

30 October 2006 – Al Jazeera English, the 24-hour English-language news and current affairs channel, headquartered in Doha, announced today that Juliana Ruhfus has joined as reporter on the channel’s main business and political programme, People & Power, hosted by Dr Shereen El Feki.

As the programme’s chief reporter Juliana will travel across the globe to investigate ‘power’ in the 21st century, scrutinising those in power, those who seek power, and meet those without a voice. Juliana will help shine a light into the dark corners of governments, institutions and multi-national corporations – find out how countries really function, what benefits new technologies have and for whom, explore new thinking – all of which have the power to shape our world.

“For People & Power I want to find out how power works from the top of the pyramid down to the bottom – and across continents in a globalising world.  Often this means finding the overlooked and under-reported stories; stories about the struggles and activism of people many of which are ignored by the mainstream news.  We want to find out why things are happening, who is pulling the strings behind the scenes and who has got the courage to stand up and speak out.  Aiming to give viewers a more layered perspective People & Power should be a programme which questions preconceptions about places and presumptions about who is – or indeed who can be – powerful.”

An award winning journalist, Juliana has spent a decade working as both a reporter and producer for British and international broadcasters, specialising in international programme making and investigative work. Juliana has covered many of the world’s under-reported conflicts including Somalia, Haiti, Congo, Indonesia, Yemen and Peru, often gaining unique access to the warring factions and always with a strong focus on the human stories behind the news.

The half-hour programme will air twice a week with a flexible magazine format.  People & Power special reports and films commissioned around the globe will be followed by studio discussions and interviews.  Reflecting the channel’s fresh take on current affairs, the programme’s goal is to give a voice to the unusual suspects – we want to be first to find the new-comers to the global ranks of power in the political and economic world, meet grassroots activists, seek out bloggers and investors, or emerging faction leaders in new conflicts.  That said, we won’t forget to prod those long established with our questions – politicians, CEOs, religious leaders and military men – but always from a fresh People & Power ‘people point of view’.

People & Power will also include material gathered from freelancers and independent companies across the globe through a unique commissioning site: www.ajicommissioning.net

-ENDS-

About Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is the world’s first English language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East.

Broadcasting from within the Middle East, looking outwards, Al Jazeera English will set the news agenda and act as a bridge between cultures.
 
With unique access as the channel of reference for Middle East events, and broadcast centres strategically placed around the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC, Al Jazeera English will balance the information flow from South to North, providing accurate, impartial and objective news for a global audience from a grass roots level, giving voice to different perspectives from under-reported regions around the world.
 
Al Jazeera English is building on the ground-breaking heritage of its sister Arab-language channel – Al Jazeera, which was responsible for changing the face of news within the Middle East, now extending that fresh perspective from regional to global.

  

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