Claiming that Al Jazeera undermines American interests, a group of U.S. lawmakers urged Attorney General Sessions to consider forcing it to register as a foreign agent. The news outlet is chartered by the Qatari government. (The Tower, March 7, 2018, by TheTower.org Staff)
Al Jazeera reacted by calling the legislators’ action an assault on the free press. The legislators claimed that Al Jazeera favored Hamas, Hezbollah and the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, but Al Jazeera said it maintained strict editorial independence from any government and had come under attack from governments around the world for its balanced and fair reporting. (Politico, March 8, 2018, by Josh Gerstein)