Qatar-based television network Al Jazeera has condemned the Saudi coalition's demand of its shutdown, calling it "nothing short of a siege against the journalistic profession". 

Giles Trendle, managing director of Al Jazeera English, told CGTN’s Stephanie Fried that the demand for the network’s shutdown indicates a broader, more troubling trend.

This is not the first time that Al Jazeera has come under the microscope. Its American satellite bureau shut down in 2016 following three turmoil-filled broadcast years that included sexism and anti-Semitism lawsuits.

According to Stephanie Fried, the current demand for Qatar’s government to close the network in exchange for normalized relations with its neighbors is partially motivated by claims that Al Jazeera tows a pro-Muslim Brotherhood line.

Qatar’s government says it will not consider the list of demands, but the 48-hour extension fosters speculation that some terms, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, are possible.