Mostefa Souag

Souag holds a PhD in literary studies, and was a professor of literary theory at the University of Algiers in Algeria until 1993, when he left his teaching position to pursue a career in journalism. Prior to joining Al Jazeera, he worked as a correspondent for BBC and MBC. Souag held various positions within Al Jazeera, including managing director of the Al Jazeera Arabic News Channel, director of news at Al Jazeera Arabic News Channel, and adviser to Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani.^[3][4]

During Souag's tenure at Al Jazeera, he became the main proponent and chief spokesperson advocating for the network's media independence.^[5][6][7] Souag was also an advocate for imprisoned journalists, regularly highlighting the plights of detained Al Jazeera correspondents such as journalist Mahmoud Hussein, detained in Egypt in 2015 and still held by the Egyptian government during the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[8][9][10][11]} In addition to advocating for journalists held in detention, Souag has also been an advocate for protecting journalists in Gaza during the Gaza war.^[12]

During the Syrian civil war, Souag oversaw editorial challenges at the network, including the platforming of individuals like Ahmed al-Sharaa, the previous leader of Al-Nusra Front and the current leader of the new Syrian Government. Souag's rationale for platforming such controversial figures (he equated interviewing al-Sharaa to platforming Osama bin Laden) was that one can agree or disagree with their political stances, but that the public should still be able to know what they believe.^[6]

In 2016, Souag oversaw a difficult period at the network where the organization went through a period of mass layoffs.^[13]

Souag was succeeded as Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network by Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al-Thani.^[2][14]