Al Jazeera Network condemns threats to staff

Al Jazeera Media Network condemns threats against their staff posted on social media sites.

AJE news room

Doha – April 4, 2013
 
Al Jazeera Media Network denounces the threats made recently by some Syrian regime supporters against presenters and correspondents of Al Jazeera Channel and other Arab channels.
 
Threats levied against Al Jazeera staff on social media and other outlets in recent weeks were made to put pressure on the network to change its professional editorial line with regards to the conflict in Syria and other regions of conflicts.

“Al Jazeera prides itself on honest and objective reporting, people who feel Al Jazeera does not reflect their point of view have no basis for any argument when they use threats of intimidation and violence through social media portals like Facebook and Twitter,” said Ibrahim Helal, Director of News for Al Jazeera Arabic.

“The fact that our staff have been targeted with messages of hate has no place in any plural society,” said Helal.

In the wake of recent incitement against its staff members, Al Jazeera Media Network emphasises that it has already initiated a legal case against those who made these threats. Furthermore, it will not save any efforts seeking all legitimate actions, regardless of the status of sources of threat, in order to protect its journalists, and correspondents, and employees.

Al Jazeera Media Network has stressed out that it stands behind all its employees in such confrontation to their personal and ethical wellbeing to these kinds of threats.
 
[Ends]
 
The Al Jazeera Media Network compromises of Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Balkans, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Documentary, the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center and the Al Jazeera Center for Studies.

Source: Al Jazeera