Al Jazeera controversies and criticism United States Department of State internal communications, released by WikiLeaks as part of the 2010 diplomatic cables leak, claim that the Qatar government manipulates Al Jazeera coverage to suit political interests. Al Jazeera's Shia Beirut correspondent Ali Hashem resigned from Al Jazeera after leaked e-mails shows his discontent over the outlet's "unprofessional" and biased coverage of the Syrian civil war in light of the Bahraini protests of 2011, which was not given the prominence of the Syrian conflict on the network, one side of the conflict which was partly funded by the state of Qatar, who also fund Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera America to sue Al Jazeera but then decided against doing so. On January 5, 2016 it was announced that Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman had filed a lawsuit suing Al Jazeera for defamation following the publication's release of the documentary which linked them. Al Jazeera America Al Jazeera America (AJAM) was an American basic cable and satellite news television channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network. The channel was launched on August 20, 2013 to compete with CNN, HLN, MSNBC, Fox News, and in certain markets, RT America. The channel was Al Jazeera's second entry into the U.S. television market,