Manama:
Al Jazeera which was one of the most popular channel in Egypt has become the most hated over its coverage of events in the country.
Following the ouster of Mohammed Morsi as president, many Egyptians have flipped from Al Jazeera to other Egyptian networks.
Distrust over its coverage reached unprecedented levels and it became the most hated channel from being the most popular.
According to Gulf News, over 18 days early this year, the Al Jazeera network and its main arm in Egypt Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr played a crucial role in changing political life in Egypt.
The network, which was founded in 1996 and funded by Qatar, was supported by many Egyptian revolutionaries.
Al Jazeera staffers were feeling proud that they contributed to the Egyptian revolution with their work and coverage, and the network became the most popular channel in the country.
However, when the now ousted Morsi pushed through an unpopular constitution last November, many Egyptians found themselves flipping from Al Jazeera to other Egyptian networks.
A senior official at Al Jazeera, who did not want to be named, said that while the network appeared to be a neutral media network it was still a political tool in the hands of the Qatari emir.
Hegag Salama, a 10-year veteran reporter, said that Al Jazeera had ‘become an enemy of Egypt’.
He accused it of ‘airing lies and misleading viewers,’ the report said.
In the media world, Al Jazeera has long been perceived as being close to the Muslim Brotherhood, and whether the accusations of biases are true or not, it appears to be severely hurting the network’s ability to report on the crisis in Egypt, the report added.
