Prothom Alo :
Over the past two decades, the main existence of news destinations has shifted from television and print to digital platforms. YouTube, online news portals, and even TikTok have become primary sources for younger audiences. From your experience, how has this transformation affected the quality of journalism and public trust in the media?
Montaser Marai: I want to answer the question from my own experience. Of course, like all the big news outlets, including Al Jazeera, we face this challenge. Al Jazeera brought something new for my generation, and even for the older generation. It was very strong in challenging the authorities, dictators, and in bringing opposition voices for the first time. In the Arab region, we saw something we never heard from the authorities themselves: for the first time, we saw opposition figures talking about their country. They couldn’t speak; they were not allowed to speak in any local media, but they found this opportunity on Al Jazeera.
Now, coming to the digital era, it’s challenging because Al Jazeera doesn’t know how to position itself in the future. Why? Because, the digital landscape is very fragmented. We used to have one TV channel addressing all Arab audiences at one prime time. For example, we could talk about Palestine as the first headline, and everybody from the east to the west would be watching the same show.
But now, the audience is split. We have dozens of platforms. People are starting to look for more local outlets, and local platforms such as radio, online radio, digital media, podcasts, etc., are flourishing. So, we are facing the challenge of how to talk to this fragmented audience, how to set priorities, and how to position ourselves in the future.
Al Jazeera, as a satellite TV channel, is a big body and doesn’t have the flexibility to move fast like the younger generation, who jump from one device to another, from one platform to another—today on Facebook, tomorrow on TikTok. We constantly see digital migration. The main challenge is how we keep pace with this audience. Competition is also a factor because now, you don’t need a lot of money to establish a satellite TV channel; you just need a few dollars to start your own news platform from home or even from a rooftop.
But the question is: what we are doing on digital platforms—can it really be called “journalism”? To match audience demand—short, fast, visual—we often sacrifice depth and values. We don’t always ask the core question: “Is journalism serving the public interest?” Too often, younger colleagues act more as influencers or activists than journalists.
Prothom Alo :
So, it’s not always about how fast you produce the news, but rather about how much people trust you.
Montaser Marai: Look, now there’s a bigger problem with social media and the digital sphere in general. The credibility of journalists around the world, I think, has been shaken for many reasons. Some of the reasons lie with journalists themselves or the news outlets themselves, because for a long time, they failed to tell the truth as it is.
For example, look at the Gaza war: Who is complicit in the genocide? Who is complicit in disinformation? It’s not only the Israeli occupation. I think big media outlets are spreading fake news or sometimes misinforming people because they are biased toward one side of the story more than the other. However, people are now more aware and informed due to social media. People are smart. Just as we, as journalists, are watching the centers of power, questioning them, and exposing corruption, crimes, and human rights violations, people are also scrutinising us.
Media outlets such as Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye produce narratives that counter dominant Western discourse, but are these outlets significantly shaping international opinion and policy, or are they mostly limited to influencing social media conversations?
Montaser Marai: I don’t know if we are shaping public opinion or policymakers’ opinions, but I think we can reach mass audiences to some degree.
If you look at the major news outlets, especially mainstream Western media in Europe and the United States, they have been dominating and manipulating the media landscape for more than 100 years—and still do today. And social media algorithms are now helping these big outlets, while we face restrictions. However, despite these restrictions and the dominance of media and digital hegemony, I think we broke through. We had strong penetration among audiences in Western countries. They started learning about Palestine, the Middle East, or the Arab Spring not from their mainstream Western media but from us. I think Al Jazeera is playing a major role, and we have recently been among the top news sources worldwide.
Many mainstream Western media are very aligned with their governments’ foreign policies—the same as what happened in Iraq, Afghanistan, and during the Arab Spring. For us, our agenda is the people’s agenda. Hopefully, we can influence public opinion when it comes to human rights and saving lives.
Let’s move to the Bangladesh context. After the recent mass uprising, a new political reality has emerged. What role should international media play at this critical juncture?
Montaser Marai: I encourage international media, when they go to any country in the world like Bangladesh or Palestine, not to practice parachute journalism. They often don’t understand local culture and politics very well. Yes, you have the right to come and report, but it’s important to collaborate with local journalists, to give them opportunities and gain deeper understanding, and not to report from your hotel.
For us, the post-uprising developments in Bangladesh have been portrayed in the Indian mainstream media in a way many describe as biased. How would you explain this?
Montaser Marai: Look, I’m not sure how India portrayed the uprising in Bangladesh, but of course, every country takes a stand either against or in favour of an uprising. Maybe they are acting in their own interests. But remember that good journalism can cut through propaganda. You can’t fight everything because this flood of information on social media is huge and beyond our capacity.
There is a lot of fake news about Palestine that tries to undermine the Palestinian narrative, the Palestinian side of the story. They even try to discredit our people, to dehumanise them—even after death. As part of this effort, journalists too are being constantly attacked.
But I think despite all restrictions and despite the targeting of journalists—they have killed more than 200, almost 250 now over the last two years—we are still trying to tell the best stories. We are trying to humanise Palestinians, not victimise them. We are trying to show the world that it’s a war crime, it’s a genocide. But the world has been waiting for two years to recognise the genocide.
In conflict zones, political upheavals, or authoritarian states, journalist safety is always under threat. International reporters often enjoy relatively more protection, while local journalists face far greater risks. What steps can the global journalism community take to reduce this disparity?
Montaser Marai: I want to give the example of Palestine here too. I think the Palestinian journalists in Gaza felt abandoned. They felt betrayed not only by the international community but also by their colleagues.
What did the BBC or New York Times say about Anas Sharif, our colleague who was killed a few days ago? When they mentioned his death, they said Anas Sharif was targeted by the Israelis, who described him as a member of Hamas. What do you mean by that? You are justifying his killing. Journalists—our colleagues, our community—are complicit in the killing of our colleagues because they justify their deaths by repeating the Israeli government’s story without even verifying.
They are misleading their people. They are misinforming people, and we as journalists know this practice. So maybe they are killed twice: once by the Israeli occupation, and a second time by their colleagues.
There’s a lot we have to do to protect our colleagues. I remember at the beginning of the war, we couldn’t even send helmets and protective vests to our colleagues inside. So, it’s not enough to just protect them in Gaza. We have to campaign and try to bring the killers to justice.
Journalists worldwide must act to protect their colleagues. Unfortunately, there is not enough solidarity. We always say we are one community—whether you work for the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, or Al Jazeera, it doesn’t matter.
Working at a global media outlet like Al Jazeera, you must have had experiences that profoundly shaped your outlook on journalism. Could you share an experience that significantly influenced your philosophy of journalism?
Montaser Marai: Look, Al Jazeera has a good position worldwide as a news channel. But journalism was established very early in Europe and the United States, and they built concrete pillars as a school of journalism.
We are new, but I think we are playing a strong role in trying to correct the definition of journalism—or to bring these definitions back to the right track. Despite doing many good things, many media outlets worldwide don’t represent the interests of the public; they represent the interests of power centers—governments, businessmen, celebrities, and so on.
We are trying to ensure that journalism represents the public interest, not the centers of power—to be the voice of the people, not the voice of governments, celebrities, or businessmen.
I believe, and I hope I’m right, that Al Jazeera did a great job in covering the uprising in Bangladesh. I feel this when I talk to people in the streets that how Al Jazeera was closer to people’s voices, how it was more honest than other mainstream Western media. Everybody tells me this, and I feel really proud that Al Jazeera was close to the people.
As a media institution, we are trying to transform this spirit and experience of Al Jazeera, into knowledge—and to make this knowledge available for everyone through training, development, and content.
We are responsible for sharing it with our colleagues and working with our colleagues across the Global South and around the world, to restore journalism’s credibility, protect our reputation as journalists, and protect the definition of journalism—that it serves the public interest and is always and forever the voice of the voiceless.
Thanks for your time.
Montaser Marai: Thank you too.