Al-Jazeera to lay off 500 staff worldwide

Al-Jazeera is set to cut about 500 jobs worldwide, with most of the layoffs expected in the broadcaster’s home base in Qatar.

The news network said the cuts were in line with the changes in global media, which has seen many organisations forced to reduce staff and tighten budgets – although the state-funded channel will also have been impacted by falling oil prices. The move will bring down al-Jazeera’s global staff of about 4,500 by more than 10%. The broadcaster’s acting director general, Mostefa Souag, said the network had spent months evaluating its options. He said: “Based on this review, we have embarked on a workforce optimisation initiative that will allow us to evolve our business operation in order to maintain a leading position and continue our recognised commitment to high quality, independent and hard-hitting journalism around the world.”

Al-Jazeera was launched in 1996 as an Arabic-language news channel. It radically altered reporting of the region and grew to have a global impact with more than 70 bureaux around the world. An English-language channel was launched in 2006.

It has since scaled back its ambitions, announcing in January the closure of its American cable news channel after consistently low ratings.

The slump in oil prices has seen Qatar make cuts to other state-funded institutions, as well as laying off many workers in the energy sector. But the moves could also reflect a waning enthusiasm by rulers in Doha for the soft power and foreign influence offered by the broadcaster, which says its mission is to “provide a voice for the voiceless in some of the most underreported places on the planet”.

Al-Jazeera was heavily backed by the late emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at its inception, but reports have suggested his son and successor Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was less prepared to fund a network whose English language service has insisted on editorial independence and antagonised other states in the region with its coverage. Last year, Egypt gave jail sentences to three al-Jazeera journalists reporting on events in Cairo.

In an email sent to employees on Sunday, and republished in Doha News, Souag added: “As you know, other leading media organisations across the world are being forced to redefine their business models as well, with negative impact on their staff. Al-Jazeera is no exception.”