Soft launch: June 13, 2014 (2014-06-13) (English) April 23, 2015 (2015-04-23) (Spanish) November 30, 2015 (2015-11-30) (Arabic) December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04) (French) Full launch September 15, 2014 (2014-09-15) (English)
AJ+ (Al Jazeera Plus) is a social media publisher owned by Al Jazeera Media Network which focuses on news and current affairs. AJ+ content exists in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. It is available on its website as well as platforms YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter; with written content on Medium.
Work on the channel started in December 2012, shortly after Al Jazeera established an office in San Francisco. The first YouTube channel went live on December 17, 2013. The channel then had a soft launch on June 13, 2014. A full launch followed on September 15, 2014.
History
Al Jazeera Media Network originally planned to launch an Internet-only TV channel in 2010 as part of its social media strategy but later became pre-occupied with the Arab Spring. Plans for an internet-only channel were re-launched upon the launch of Al Jazeera America when Al Jazeera Media Network had to geo-block most video from Al Jazeera English including the channel's live stream to satisfy concerns from cable and satellite providers in the United States. The move was met with dissatisfaction from both viewers and Al Jazeera English producers and hosts.[1]
Also with the purchase of Current TV to use for Al Jazeera America, AJMN acquired Current's former headquarters in San Francisco which was perfect for the type of channel Al Jazeera wanted to build being in the new media mecca of the San Francisco Bay Area and the building being already fitted to accommodate an online operation due to the original format of Current as a user-generated channel with heavy Internet integration.
In January 2012, members of the network's social media team relocated some of its staff to San Francisco to focus on building AJ+. After months of research and numerous pilots, the AJMN executive management were convinced of the project and providing funding and resources to scale. AJ+ is the first incubated project out Al Jazeera's Innovation & Incubation Department.[2]
In October 2013, it was announced that Al Jazeera Media Network would establish an Internet-only TV channel based entirely online called AJ+ based in San Francisco to launch sometime in 2014.[3] Led by a strategy team consisting of Riyaad Minty, Moeed Ahmad, and Muhammad Cajee, after a year of preparation the channel placed several test videos on YouTube in late 2013 followed by a soft launch in June 2014 with a full launch complete with a mobile app later in 2014.[4]
The channel was announced as launched on June 13, 2014, by Al Jazeera PR with several videos posted to YouTube and a new Facebook page which it refers to as the AJ+ Community along with a new-look website with an updated logo.[5] The channel was soft-launched during a presentation by Al Jazeera on new media at the Global Editors Network summit in Barcelona. The channel soft launched beginning with the tweet "We can confirm that this is our first official tweet. Because that's what real journalism is about. We're @AJPlus. Hello World :)".[6] The tweet was partly a pun of the first tweet sent out by the CIA earlier in the month.
In July 2014, the channel created a fellowship program and issued a call for fellows from five regions of the world in North America, South America, The Middle East, Europe, The Asia Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa.[7] In August 2014, the channel branched out to Instagram.[8] On September 15, 2014, the channel launched fully with the release of its mobile app. The launch was attended by Al Jazeera Media Network Director General Mostefa Souag who stated "AJ reshaped media in 1996 when it launched, Sept 15th marks the new phase of change with AJ+".[9]
AJ+ Español soft-launched in April 2015 to start testing content in a different language. According to Variety, AJ+ became the second largest news video producer on Facebook, after NowThis News, in June 2015.[2] They are the ninth largest video producer on the platform overall.[10] On August 12, 2015, AJ+ announced the appointment of its first managing director, Dima Khatib.[11] That same month, AJ+ also released data showing that it has a 600% engagement rate on Facebook, making the network's Facebook page one of the most engaged news brands in the world.[12][13] As of April 2018, its Facebook page had obtained over ten million 'likes' from users. In October 2015, AJ+ announced that the channel had reached over one billion views across its platforms.[14]
In 2017, AJ+ launched a French-language version of the service. In 2018, the English version of the channel moved its operations to Washington D.C. In April 2018, AJ+ ended the use of its mobile apps, moving to content distribution over its website, various social media and YouTube. In September 2020, AJ+ was asked to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in the United States with the Trump Administration charging that the channel has engaged in political activities, backed by the royal family of Qatar.[15] Al Jazeera condemned the decision and linked it to the results of 3 years long lobbying fulfilled following the signing of Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement.[16]
Format
AJ+ produces video and media directly to social platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram), through native apps on mobile devices (iOS and Android) and smart TV platforms (Apple TV,[17]Android TV,[18] and Amazon Fire TV).
AJ+ is separate from Al Jazeera's other cable and satellite news channels, though it shares the network's current 68 bureaus with the other channels.[citation needed]
The channel is headquartered in Washington D.C. Originally, it was headquartered San Francisco, California, in the expanded former headquarters and studio of Current TV. The channel has branch offices in Doha, Qatar, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi.[19] It also collects and creates content through freelancers in other areas of interest.[20]
Despite being based in the United States, the content of the channel is formatted for a global audience similar to Al Jazeera English. The channel has no hosts or anchors, and live reporting plays a lesser role. Most content is available on demand.[21][22]
AJ+ offers news coverage from around the world, and also covers topics like lifestyle, culture and technology with very little text. Its videos range from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.[23]
The channel is experimenting with various storytelling formats.[24] It supports a high level of user interactions in the app and its Facebook, YouTube and Twitter platforms as well.[25]
An Arabic-language version of AJ+ was launched in 2015.[26] There is also a test Spanish version of the channel based out of San Francisco.[27]
The AJ+ Mobile App launched in September 2014 on iOS and Android platforms which was used until April 2018. The app employed a card and stack structure for navigation, and focuses primarily on user and social engagement.[citation needed]
Awards and honors
In 2015, AJ+ won a Webby Award for Online Film & Video, News & Information [31]
At the 2015 Webby Awards, AJ+ was also honored in the categories of
Online Film & Video, News & Politics: Individual Episode (Ayotzinapa Student Killings Ignite Mexico and the Internet) [32]
Online Film & Video, Documentary: Series (AJ+ Short Docs)[33]
The French National Audiovisual Institute has criticized AJ+ for its practice of generating viewer engagement through what it sees as one-sided reporting on emotional topics. The institute claims that 3/4 of AJ+ posts on Twitter mentioned the Israeli–Palestinian conflict or racism and police violence in the Western world, and that the alleged editorial line of the channel serves to further the ideological influence of Qatar and presents ideological similarities with the Muslim Brotherhood.[39][40]
2019 Holocaust denial video
In 2019, AJ+ produced and published an Arabic-language video that denied and minimized the Holocaust, asserting that the global Jewish community uses "financial resources [and] media institutions" to exaggerate Jewish suffering for the benefit of the State of Israel. The video was translated into English by Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI TV), sparking widespread outcry against Al Jazeera and condemnation from Israeli government officials. In response, Al Jazeera took down the video and suspended two of its journalists, stating that the video “contravened the network’s editorial standards.”[41] The video stated that "[the] number [of Jews murdered in the Holocaust] had been exaggerated and 'adopted by the Zionist movement', and that Israel is the 'biggest winner' from the genocide."[42] The video also renewed long-standing criticism of the differences between Al Jazeera's Arabic content and English content; critics have stated that the organization adheres to a liberal, left-wing, and secularist approach with its English content and a conservative, right-wing, and Islamist approach in its Arabic content.[42][43][44][45]
^ abFathalla, Amira (May 20, 2019). "Al Jazeera suspends journalists for Holocaust denial video". BBC. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2022. Al Jazeera English is known to audiences worldwide for its varied coverage, which often sheds light on underreported stories. But its reporting - which only occasionally hints at the affiliations of its Qatari owners - comes in stark contrast to Al Jazeera Arabic. AJA's obvious stance on key regional crises and rivalries heavily colours its output. Its friendly coverage of Islamist groups - particularly favouring those aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood - came to the fore particularly with the 2011 uprisings in the region. Some of its correspondents have adopted a still harder line. In 2015, prominent anchor Ahmed Mansour offered a sympathetic account of the activities of al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate in a lengthy interview with its leader. Since a major rift between Gulf states erupted in 2017, AJA's coverage has also shifted closer to Iran.
