Loading ...Al Jazeera Announces Layoffs, Mostly in Qatar
BY Eli Rosenburg
New York Times
The global news organization Al Jazeera said on Sunday that it would cut an estimated 500 positions as part of a reorganization that it attributed to shifts in the media landscape.
The news came on the heels of the network’s announcement that it would shutter its cable news wing in the United States, Al Jazeera America, which had struggled to gain a meaningful viewership since it started two and a half years ago.
The company, which said it had conducted a review of its work force over the last few months, cited the changing global media industry for the reductions but did not give more specifics.
“Based on this review, we have embarked on a work force optimization initiative that will allow us to evolve our business operation in order to maintain a leading position and continue our recognized commitment to high-quality, independent and hard-hitting journalism around the world,” Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of the network, said in a news release about the decision.
The moves will primarily affect workers at the company’s headquarters in Qatar, it said. The energy-rich country owns the outlet.
When the decision to shut down Al Jazeera America was announced in January, some workers surmised that the changes were because of declining oil prices. The company denied that at the time. Al Jazeera America will shut down by April 30.
Al Jazeera has grown since its founding in 1996, with more than 70 bureaus for its subsidiaries across the world and a large digital presence.
Mr. Souag said the decision to cut the jobs was difficult. “However, we are confident it is the right step to ensure the network’s long-term competitiveness and reach,” he said.
Source: www.nytimes.com