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Al Jazeera calls on Reuters to retract ‘editorial errors’

May 26, 2022 at 3:42 pm

A picture taken on December 5, 2019, shows a general view of the headquarters of al-Jazeera Media Network, in the Qatari capital Doha [KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images]

Al Jazeera media network called yesterday on Reuters agency to retract an editorial error in a recent news release in which it is said to have misquoted statements by Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, regarding the Iran nuclear deal.

Reuters insisted on attributing the original story to Al Jazeera, claiming that the channel had caught and corrected a translation error, something that has no basis in fact,” insisted Al Jazeera.

The agency quoted Al-Thani on Saturday as saying that Iran was willing to “compromise in negotiations with the United States to restore its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.” In fact, the Qatari minister pointed out that Iran had said that the revival of the nuclear deal was “under review”.

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The initial misquote was an error taken from Germany’s Handelsblatt, to which the first interview was given. It was then picked up by Qatari and international news outlets.

An official at Al Jazeera was quoted as saying that Reuters’ regional office in Dubai had attributed the original news and its subsequent correction to Al Jazeera, even though a German newspaper was the original source for the news item. “The agency should have reviewed and scrutinised the work of its office in Dubai and monitored its performance, which should not be subject to any non-professional considerations.”

The Doha-based network called on Reuters to “be accurate and professional in its work.”