Qatar-owned news broadcaster al-Jazeera English moved into its new home in London’s Shard on Bonfire night – not with a bang, but with a soiree to mark about 200 staff relocating from Knightsbridge and Westminster Tower.
While the fireworks outside the tallest building in western Europe didn’t really deliver, the tiny canapés – including watermelon and chicken, since you ask – and fruity non-alcoholic beverages did.
The event also marked the broadcaster’s first marketing launch event in the UK, for its new branding campaign “Hear the human story”. And yes, the campaign even has a hashtag: #AJEhumanstory.
#AJEHumanStory #Rwanda pic.twitter.com/drstM0CBj1
— Al Jazeera Network (@AlJazeera) November 3, 2014
The speeches kicked off with AJE presenter Lauren Taylor introducing one of the short films from the campaign. It told the story of Sampat Pal from India, who had fought back against corrupt officials who were not recognising her right to own her land after her husband was murdered. She joined the Gulabi Gang, which now has more than 400,000 members who challenge injustice.
AJE managing director Al Anstey also took to the podium, to say the broadcaster does not just “parachute in, parachute out” reporters.
.@ajenglish MD @AlAnsteyAJ says "people are affected by stories and we hear their stories" #ajehumanstory pic.twitter.com/1atBPzNIl1
— Al Jazeera Network (@AlJazeera) November 5, 2014
And on day 312 of al-Jazeera’s Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed being imprisoned in Egypt, Anstey thanked fellow journalists for keeping alive the global campaign to free them.
Behind the scenes
