Exclusive | Al Jazeera boss’ warning to staffers – – Business News
GENEVA — The boss of Al Jazeera English warned staffers to keep away from trying like they’re collaborating in political protests — simply hours after one of the community’s reporters appeared to be a part of a march calling for Israel to be kicked out of the Eurovision Song Contest, The Post has realized.
Journalists on the Qatar-backed information outlet — long accused of being a “Hamas mouthpiece” by Israeli leaders — acquired the memo final month after reporter Charlie Angela broadcast a phase from a 2,000-sturdy march in Vienna calling for Israeli singer Noam Bettan to be kicked out of the annual music competitors.
In Angela’s report, arduous-left demonstrators had been seen carrying placards with slogans corresponding to “no platform for Zionism and occupation!” whereas sporting Palestinian scarves referred to as keffiyehs.
Hundreds of protesters marched by means of the Austrian capital Vienna forward of the Eurovision last, accusing organisers of normalising conflict crimes by permitting Israel to take part within the competitors.Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela reviews from the Austrian capital. pic.twitter.com/AfNldUkeWi— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 16, 2026
Angela — who initially stood in entrance of the passing demonstrators as she reported that they had been accusing Eurovision “of normalizing war crimes by allowing Israel to participate in the competition” — started to stroll alongside them after a few seconds.
Israel participates within the Eurovision Song Contest as a result of its public broadcaster is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, the group that runs the occasion.
As Angela continued to report, she walked with the protesters for about 20 seconds earlier than stopping again about midway by means of the phase, which was posted on X in early afternoon on May 16.
A number of hours later, Ibrahim Helal, information director for Al Jazeera’s English division, fired off a memo to staffers, a screenshot of which was solely obtained by The Post on Thursday.
“It is fine for correspondents to move through demonstrations, and speak to participants if needed. However, we should NEVER appear to march as participants ourselves,” Helal wrote. “Walking in front of, or in the middle of, a march in a way that makes us look part of it is not acceptable.”
Angela filed her slanted report from Vienna on May 16 – nevertheless it sparked a fast response from her boss Ibrahim Helal. @AJEnglish/X
“When we cover marches, protests and demonstrations around the world, we must remember that our job is to cover these events professionally, not to appear as part of them or supporters of their cause,” Helal wrote.
“The line between journalism and activism is becoming increasingly blurred, so please make sure we keep a clear visual and editorial distance from any movement or action we are covering,” he added.
The memo didn’t single out Angela’s report on the anti-Israel demonstration — which initially sparked confusion within the newsroom, in accordance to sources.
Israeli singer Noam Bettan acting at Eurovision. Thomas Ramstorfer/APA-Images/Shutterstock
“We had no idea what it was about,” an Al Jazeera veteran informed The Post. “But the two top stories at the time were the Israel-Iran war and the Ebola outbreak. We knew instinctively it wasn’t going to be a protest about Ebola that Helal was talking about given all the discussion regarding Israel being in the Eurovision Song Contest.”
Israel positioned second behind Bulgaria in final month’s Eurovision, which is watched by thousands and thousands world wide though it’s lesser-identified within the US. Anti-Israel protesters in Europe and past stated Israel ought to have been barred from this yr’s competitors due to the conflicts within the Middle East.
“A widely-held opinion in the newsroom was that Israel should not be taking part,” stated a second Al Jazeera insider. “When the results were coming through, everyone was cheering for Bulgaria to win and there was a big sigh of relief when Israel lost out and finished second. It’s a real echo chamber.”
The e-mail was despatched out simply hours after Angela’s report appeared on air and online. Although it stopped short of naming the dispatch from Vienna. Provided to NY Post
In April, The Post revealed that Al Jazeera constructed a secret backup studio in Doha, Qatar, out of concern of a missile assault or cyberattack amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
The community’s journalists fiercely defend their work as impartial, although critics, particularly Israeli politicians, accuse it for shilling for Iran and its proxies together with Hamas and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
“Al Jazeera was the only international network that had unfettered access to senior Iranian officials at the start of the war,” an Al Jazeera source famous. “We were able to move freely around the country.”
Helal, a former BBC journalist, was accused by a former colleague of alleged discriminatory habits within the office. Ibrhahim Helal / Linkedin
In February, the Washington Free Beacon obtained a leaked copy of Al Jazeera’s fashion information that has a blanket ban on calling the Islamic State a terrorist group. The phrase “Islamist” was additionally reportedly verboten.
Helal, a former BBC boss, ran Al Jazeera Arabic as editor-in-chief by means of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The outlet’s footage of captured allied troops and civilian useless enraged the George W. Bush administration, which accused it of broadcasting terrorist propaganda.
Al Jazeera has drawn criticism from the US and its allies for some of its reporting. Its journalists fiercely defend its independence, regardless of being fully bankrolled by the Qatari royal household. Corbis by way of Getty Images
In 2008, a former feminine colleague of Helal unsuccessfully sued the channel within the UK, accusing Helal of discriminating towards her on the grounds of intercourse, race and faith.
Steve Clark, the community’s former director of information and the claimant’s husband, testified that Helal operated with “the management style of Saddam Hussein.”
The Post has sought remark from Al Jazeera.
