Al-Jazeera TV channel cuts about 500 staff

Qatar-based news channel Al-Jazeera announced on March 27 that it will cut about 500 employees at several branches around the world, as part of a “workforce optimization initiative.”

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Al-Jazeera said the decision was made after a management review and that the majority of staff cuts would be at its headquarters in Qatar. An Al-Jazeera manager said the channel could lay off up to 300 employees in Qatar.

500 Al-Jazeera staff will be laid off. (Source: AP)

In a statement, Al-Jazeera's acting director general, Mostefa Souag, stressed that the staff cuts will allow Al-Jazeera's media network to grow in order to maintain its leading position, as well as its commitments to quality and independence.

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The planned staff cuts come just two months after Al-Jazeera announced it would cease operations in the US next April, with about 700 people expected to lose their jobs.

Founded in 1996 by Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, initially an Arabic-language news channel, Al-Jazeera has since developed many TV channels and today has more than 70 branches around the world./.

According to Vietnamplus