São Paulo – This Tuesday (20th), the director general of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel, Wadah Khanfar, announced that he is stepping down after eight years leading the network, according to an article published on the channel’s English website. In a note to the newsroom the executive stated that when he was appointed for the job, his goal was to make Al Jazeera a global media leader, a goal he believes has been achieved.
Khanfar will be replaced by Ahmad Bin Jassim Bin Mohammad Al Thani, a member of the Arab country’s royal family.
The news of the resignation comes amidst the so-called “Arab Spring,” which has been getting vast coverage from the network. Its independent coverages have often drawn the ire of Arab regimes, which have filed formal complaints with the Qatari government on several occasions, as Al Jazeera is state-owned.
Palestinian-born Khanfar started working at the TV network as a correspondent, out of Africa, Afghanistan and Iraq. Under his helm, the network grew and achieved international fame.
Last year, in an interview to ANBA, he discussed Al Jazeera’s expansion plans, which involved new sports, services and news channels in languages other than Arabic and English.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
