Ma'an News Agency
Encyclopedia
Ma'an News Agency (Arabic
وكالة معا الإخبارية) is a large wire service
created in 2005 in the Palestinian Territories
. It is part of the Ma'an Network, a non-governmental organisation media
network created in 2002 in the Palestinian Territories among independent journalists throughout the West Bank and Gaza and including nine local television stations and nine local radio stations. Ma'an News Agency publishes news 24 hours a day in Arabic
, Hebrew
and English
, and claims to be one of the largest wire services
in the Palestinian Territories, with over three million visits
per month. Ma'an News Agency also publishes feature stories, analysis and opinion articles. The agency's headquarters are in Bethlehem
and it maintains an office in Gaza City.
, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, to create and distribute media programming. The name Ma'an is the Arabic word for "together". The group is run by Raed Othman, the former manager of Bethlehem TV. Search for Common Ground
, provided $3 million in initial funding to Ma'an and continues to fund the organization and administer grants from other foreign sources. Ma'an has produced three soap operas (one of which, Mazih fi Jad (Joking seriously), was described as the first television drama series produced in the Palestinian territories), numerous news and public affairs programs and the television film Kafah. Ma'an's programs are broadcast by ten independent terrestrial television
stations in the West Bank
and occasionally by the Fatah
-run Palestine TV satellite broadcaster.
The Ma'an News Agency was launched in 2005 with funding from the Danish
and Dutch
Representative Offices to the Palestinian National Authority
. The news agency is the most visible component of the Ma'an Network.
' Al-Aqsa TV
and Fatah
's Palestine TV. In an interview with media scholar Matt Sienkiewicz, former Ma'an Chief Financial Officer
Wisam Kutom stated that he told potential Ma'an funders that: "Palestinian television is factional television right now we [Palestinians] cannot tell the stories we want to, only the stories the factions will let us. There is no independent television".
Funding for the Ma'an Network as a whole includes advertising revenue from its television and radio stations, but comes primarily from foreign donors.
In July 2007, MNA alleged that MNA's chief editor had received "direct threats" to carry out a "defamation campaign" against MNA by Hamas
, at the time the de facto Gaza Strip government
, unless MNA ceased to criticise "the Hamas movement".
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
وكالة معا الإخبارية) is a large wire service
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
created in 2005 in the Palestinian Territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. It is part of the Ma'an Network, a non-governmental organisation media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
network created in 2002 in the Palestinian Territories among independent journalists throughout the West Bank and Gaza and including nine local television stations and nine local radio stations. Ma'an News Agency publishes news 24 hours a day in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and claims to be one of the largest wire services
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
in the Palestinian Territories, with over three million visits
Web analytics
Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage....
per month. Ma'an News Agency also publishes feature stories, analysis and opinion articles. The agency's headquarters are in Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
and it maintains an office in Gaza City.
History
The Ma'an Network began in 2002 as a partnership between Bethlehem TV and Search for Common GroundSearch for Common Ground
Search for Common Ground is an international non-profit organization operating in nearly 30 countries whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict – away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with the majority of...
, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, to create and distribute media programming. The name Ma'an is the Arabic word for "together". The group is run by Raed Othman, the former manager of Bethlehem TV. Search for Common Ground
Search for Common Ground
Search for Common Ground is an international non-profit organization operating in nearly 30 countries whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict – away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with the majority of...
, provided $3 million in initial funding to Ma'an and continues to fund the organization and administer grants from other foreign sources. Ma'an has produced three soap operas (one of which, Mazih fi Jad (Joking seriously), was described as the first television drama series produced in the Palestinian territories), numerous news and public affairs programs and the television film Kafah. Ma'an's programs are broadcast by ten independent terrestrial television
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
stations in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and occasionally by the Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
-run Palestine TV satellite broadcaster.
The Ma'an News Agency was launched in 2005 with funding from the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Representative Offices to the Palestinian National Authority
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
. The news agency is the most visible component of the Ma'an Network.
Independence
On its English-language website, Ma'an News Agency states that it: "scrupulously maintains its editorial independence and aims to promote access to information, freedom of expression, press freedom, and media pluralism in Palestine." The Ma'an Network was founded with the goal of creating a media source that was free of factional control, unlike the major existing broadcasters such as HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
' Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV
Al-Aqsa TV is the official Hamas-run television channel. Its programming includes news talk, children's shows , and religiously inspired entertainment...
and Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
's Palestine TV. In an interview with media scholar Matt Sienkiewicz, former Ma'an Chief Financial Officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
Wisam Kutom stated that he told potential Ma'an funders that: "Palestinian television is factional television right now we [Palestinians] cannot tell the stories we want to, only the stories the factions will let us. There is no independent television".
Funding for the Ma'an Network as a whole includes advertising revenue from its television and radio stations, but comes primarily from foreign donors.
In July 2007, MNA alleged that MNA's chief editor had received "direct threats" to carry out a "defamation campaign" against MNA by Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, at the time the de facto Gaza Strip government
Governance of the Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas after Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006 and ousted Fatah officials as part of the Battle of Gaza . Hamas' political and military rival, Fatah, controls the West Bank. Both regimes regard themselves as the sole legitimate...
, unless MNA ceased to criticise "the Hamas movement".