It started as a response to the strict control that many governments in Arab League countries exercised over most forms of journalism as well as the lack of a free press.
[2] The Emir of Qatar sought to break the heavy handed media management by the government because he had progressive ideas of expanding political participation and allowing independent press.
[2] William Lafi Youmans attributes the first use of the term to Philip Seib, author of The Al Jazeera Effect: How the New Global Media Are Reshaping World Politics (2008).
[8] Egyptian dissident Saad al-Din Ibrahim spoke of Al Jazeera as giving Arab citizens open public space and new opportunities for expression and assertion,[10] which has been seen through its on-air talk shows, discussion, and phone-in programs.
[9] Various critics have acknowledged Al Jazeera's role in aiding reforms during the 2005 Arab Spring, specifically in regard to its news coverage of Iraqi elections and Lebanese protests.
[9] As a result of Al Jazeera's programs, individuals in the Middle East have learned more about Western democracy and politics than from other previous sources.
[4] William Lafi Youmans notes that Seib's prediction that the Al Jazeera effect will lead to changes in the politics of the Middle East was realized in the early 2010s during the Arab Spring, with new media provoking widespread debate and unrest within the region.