Al-Jazeera America, the soon-to-be-dead U.S. outpost of the Qatari government’s global television network, published an opinion essay on Thursday morning that satirized—subtly, but not that subtly—a number of new (or newly relaunched) media companies, including Mic, The New Republic, and Al-Jazeera America itself. Hours later, however, the network’s website replaced the entire essay with the following editor’s note:

When readers in the U.S. click on this hyperlink, they’ll be taken to an Al Jazeera America op-ed criticizing Saudi Arabia for an uptick in executions of prisoners for apparently political reasons. When international readers click it, they’ll get a 404 error. According to Al Jazeera itself, this discrepancy is by design.

Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were among 100 people pardoned by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi today, according to a Sisi spokesman. In 2013, the men were arrested along with a colleague on trumped-up charges of “conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood to broadcast false news.”

On Saturday, an Egyptian judge sentenced three Al Jazeera English journalists—Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed, and Peter Greste—to at least three years in prison on trumped up charges that have been the subject of much criticism since the men were arrested two years ago in December.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden's mammoth whistleblowing trove is still being worked through, two years after it was first leaked. Now, Al Jazeera and The Guardian are offering another blockbuster cache—"The Spy Cables."

Peter Greste, one of three Al Jazeera journalists convicted last summer of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood to broadcast false news, has been released from prison and deported, the Associated Press reports.

Newly-inaugurated Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says he will not pardon the three Al Jazeera journalists sentenced to jail yesterday for conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood to report false news. "If we desire [strong] state institutions, we must respect court rulings and not comment on them even if others don't understand these rulings," he said last night, according to the Associated Press.

Three Al Jazeera journalists were convicted this morning in Cairo of conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood to broadcast false news. Mohamed Fadel Fahmy and Peter Greste were sentenced to seven years in jail, and Baher Mohammed was sentenced to 10 years—the three additional years were for "possession of ammunition."

Abdullah Elshamy, an Al Jazeera reporter who has been in jail in Egypt on trumped-up charges for nearly a year, has been ordered released on account of his failing health, and judging from before-and-after photos of Elshamy, it's clear that his release is an urgent matter.

While much of the attention surrounding the Maryville rape case has focused on Daisy Coleman, the second victim, Paige Parkhurst, has come forward to offer her story.

TV reporter and book author Brian Stelter isn’t supposed to write about cable news, given his recent try-out as the new host of CNN’s Reliable Sources, where Howard Kurtz policed the media (well, tried to) before signing with Fox News. But on Monday the Times published Stelter’s report on the cable news upstart Al Jazeera America, citing its executives’ plan to usurp established channels (such as Stelter’s potential employer). And today Stelter reported on Al Jazeera’s litigation against AT&T for dropping the network. Has a would-be media cop lost track of his own conflicted interests?

Early Wednesday evening, the New York Times' media reporter and expert DIY home decorator Brian Stelter dropped a "big one" and broke the news that Qatar-financed news organization Al Jazeera had completed a deal to purchase Current TV, Al Gore's low rated news channel best known for hiring and then firing Keith Olbermann.

In case you don't follow international politics (and I know you don't), the right-wing Popular Party won the elections in Spain over the weekend. Here is one couple who came up with a very inventive and sexxxy way to protest the party who promises to repeal same-sex marriage rights.

Donald Rumsfeld, who during his time in the Bush White House labeled Al Jazeera Arabic "vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable," made news last week by praising the English network, saying he's now "delighted you are doing what you are doing." That was in an interview with David Frost. But he held another interview with the network that day that's just coming to light! It is truly something else, meaning it's scary and contentious.

The man who built Al Jazeera into a global TV news powerhouse was replaced after Wikileaks released a cable showing he collaborated with the U.S. government. Apparently this did not go over well with the Middle Eastern royal family that actually owns the network.

Gabriel Elizondo (pictured) is a reporter who works for Al Jazeera. His current project: driving across America to "talk to people of all walks of life about the wide-ranging impact (or not) of 9/11 on American life." Sounds fishy.

After disappearing 19 days ago in Syria and being sent to Iran, missing Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz was released and flown to Qatar today, where she is "safe and well" with her colleagues at the network.

In your harrowing Wednesday media column: an Al Jazeera reporter is held in Iran, Chattanooga newsman in Nazi cop row, Uganda's tabloids go hard on "Homos," the NYT's web traffic inches downward, and Bill Gallo dies.

In your crumb-sucking Wednesday media column: Morning Joe loves Starbucks for some reason, layoffs loom at AOL, Al Jazeera is coming for your kids, the NYT and Pro Publica have the same interests, and Spike Lee enjoys The Ed Show.

Now that Libyan pro-democracy forces are taking over, Al Jazeera gets a rare peek inside one of Gaddafi's secret bunkers. Equipped with everything needed to survive a serious attack (including equipment made in the USA), the fortress suggests Gaddafi's paranoia.