Al Jazeera 500 million Qatari riyals (US$137 million) from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa. By securing its funding through loans or grants rather than direct government subsidies, the channel seeks to maintain independent editorial policy. The channel began broadcasting in late 1996, with many staff joining from the BBC World Service's Saudi-co-owned Arabic-language TV station, which had shut down on 1 April 1996 after two years of operation because of censorship demands by the Saudi Arabian government. The Al Jazeera logo is a decorative representation of the network's name written using Arabic calligraphy. It was selected by the station's
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,