Al Jazeera is one of the most powerful voices in the Arabic-speaking world and the Middle East in general. When it comes to business news, oil, conflict, trade, and tourism, this news organization is one heck of a formidable presence in the region.

The Qatari-based news venture started out fairly local, but has now become a world news outlet. Arabic translation is no longer needed to understand what’s going on with the reports and the take on the news Al Jazeera offers its global audience. The main reason you can leave the Arabic translation behind (to some extent) is thanks to the advent of Al Jazeera in English, as well as Al Jazeera America.

A LITTLE HISTORY

In the past, Americans might have had some distrust of this news network. This unease came in part from the fact that Islamic terrorists tended to use Al Jazeera when they wanted to send out a communiqué. Al Jazeera’s staff, naturally, could work on an Arabic to English translation quickly, and get the message out to the world.

Times have really changed. Al Jazeera is now a major global brand and watched by millions of people. The network has won and been nominated for a host of awards for its news coverage. The Webby Awards compared its coverage to BBC News, and the Foreign Press Associationcommended the network for its groundbreaking environmental and health programming, including the series ‘Earthrise,’ and ‘The Cure.’

 A WORLWIDE PERSPECTIVE

Sure, you can hear about a lot of hard-hitting news coming out of Syria and Yemen on Al Jazeera, but you’ll also read or see specials about the Oscars, the latest movie premieres, and what Scarlett Johansson happened to be wearing at a particular event.

Although the programming choices on Al Jazeera America differ somewhat from the Arabic broadcast, you still might want to check this news channel out. It’s a great way to learn about what’s going on in the Arabic-speaking world and the planet at large.