When Al Jazeera launched from the Qatari capital, Doha, on Friday, November 1, 1996, it was the first independent news channel in the Arab world. Media in the Arab world, till then, was characterised by state-controlled narratives that denied audiences the right to know and the right to be heard. Al Jazeera has extensive reach across the globe and is available in over 150 countries and territories in more than 430 million homes. Al Jazeera is an independent news organisation funded in part by the Qatari government.