It might have been on for only four months, but Al Jazeera America certainly had a busy 2013. Network president Kate O’Brian, who told TVNewser her aim is to make AJAM the number one news division in America, wrote a year-end note thanking her employees for their hard work while also requesting them to keep their detained colleagues in their thoughts.
“To all of you who have worked on the channel for much longer than those four months, and for all who started closer to or even since August 20th, thank you. Your hard work and dedication to excellence has created a foundation for success that will be the envy of the industry. As I watch the year-end wrap up stories I realize that in our short four months we have covered every important breaking story, from our first weeks focusing on the humanitarian crisis in Syria all the way to our expansive, respectful coverage of the death of Mandela.”
The full note is after the jump.Dear fellow Al Jazeera America team members:
It may be a bit presumptuous to write an “end of year” note when we have only been on the air for four months. So consider this an abbreviated but heartfelt version.
To all of you who have worked on the channel for much longer than those four months, and for all who started closer to or even since August 20th, thank you. Your hard work and dedication to excellence has created a foundation for success that will be the envy of the industry. As I watch the year-end wrap up stories I realize that in our short four months we have covered every important breaking story, from our first weeks focusing on the humanitarian crisis in Syria all the way to our expansive, respectful coverage of the death of Mandela. We’ve consistently brought vital issues to the attention of our viewers, and always, always stayed true to our mission of giving voice to the voiceless and telling the under reported stories.
We all look forward to an exciting and busy 2014! We will be launching new shows, new documentary series, and opening new bureaus. We will continue to develop and improve our current programming. We will grow even closer as a team and strive to be the best place to work in media. I know we will succeed in all our efforts because I know the quality of all the people on our team—and I couldn’t ask for a better team to work alongside, every hour of the day and across all our bureaus.
We will continue to work hand-in-hand with our AJMN colleagues, showing our audience, on television and online, the strength of our global resources. And, as we reflect at year’s end, let us all keep our colleagues Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed, and Mohamed Fawzy in our thoughts. Their incarceration highlights the importance, and the inherent dangers, of the fearless journalism we espouse.
May you all enjoy good health and happiness in 2014,
Kate