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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSoledad O達rien & Other CNN Alums Join Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera America Confirms Soledad OBrien Deal
By LISA DE MORAES, TV Columnist | Monday July 1, 2013 @ 6:00am PDT
Al Jazeera America confirmed this morning it had signed a deal with former CNN star Soledad OBrien to contribute to the network as special correspondent. OBriens production company, Starfish Media Group will produce hourlong documentary specials for the cable network. I look forward to beginning a relationship with Al Jazeera America, which has made a commitment to producing quality programming and pursuing underreported stories, OBrien said in the announcement, confirming speculation that started last week. As a correspondent, OBrien will contribute short-form segments to the primetime current affairs mag America Tonight on the new network, which is funded by the government of Qatar.
OBrien stepped down from CNN in March when network chief Jeff Zucker scrubbed her program Starting Point; he gave the time slot to Chris Cuomos New Day. At the time she left CNN, she formed Starfish Media, which, in addition to the production deal with Al Jazeera America, now also has a production deal with CNN, and development deals at HBO and National Geographic Channel.
America Tonights senior exec producer Kim Bondy is another CNN alum. In this mornings announcement, Bondy said shed worked with OBrien since 1997, so I know she cares deeply about covering the human side of a story based solely on the facts, Bondy said, adding that the newsmag will go beyond statistics and headlines to provide an in-depth, unbiased look at the events of the day and how they affect our viewers. Al Jazeera Media Network exec director of international operations, Ehab Al Shihabi used similar language in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, saying the new network would be unbiased and feature less political grandstanding and celebrity coverage than existing cable news network. Al Jazeera America has been lining up relationships witeh names known to U.S. news viewers in an effort to quell what Al Shihabi, in that LAT interview, called a bucket of resistance to the channel. In addition to OBrien, the list includes CNNs Ali Velshi and NBCs Mike Viqueira.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/al-jazeera-america-confirms-soledad-obrien-hire/
Larkspur
(12,804 posts)I think he's already working for Current TV.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)and find it to be a very good news organization. Almost what CNN was like back in the day. Serious, in depth, wide ranging -- really good stuff.
srican69
(1,426 posts)Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)I think you can also watch them online.
davidwparker
(5,397 posts)Free Speech TV plays some of their programming. I've enjoyed it too.
cascadiance
(19,537 posts)I wonder what FSTV and LINK will carry once Al Jazeera America is up fully. I'm guessing they'll continue to carry it for a while and will be given free access by Al Jazeera for at least a while if Time Warner keeps Al Jazeera off the air. Not sure if FSTV or LINK is carried on Time Warner or not as I've long ago ditched cable. And you also get RT on Dish as well.
TDale313
(7,820 posts)She's one of the few main stream media journalists I actually respect. Which of course means there's no place for her in the msm.
srican69
(1,426 posts)1-Old-Man
(2,667 posts)She has always seemed to me to be an intelligent lady who's views were well worth listening too and of course factual reporting helped a lot too. its good to see her going to a trustworthy news operation.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)I link to al-Jazeera every day to find out what is really going on at home and abroad.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)We don't subscribe to cable, just internet. And there are several reasons. For one thing, I don't want to pay for channels like Fox News and not get channels like MSNBC or Al Jazeera or other channels.
For another, cable is too expensive. We need to choose between internet or cable, and we prefer internet.
Third, is a bit of an extension of the first, we don't want to pay for the useless news about celebrities. If I know someone or I watch a show or movie with a certain star or written or directed by a certain person, I might look that person up on the internet, but I could care less about the everyday details of their personal life drummed into me hour by hour, day by day. It's annoying.
So, I'm looking forward to seeing Soledad on the internet if Al Jazeera puts her on.