Q&A: Al Jazeera America’s new president
Kate O’Brian, a 30-year veteran from ABC News, says there’s a ‘gap’ in the US media landscape that Al Jazeera will fill.
Why Al Jazeera?
This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to create a news product that I think is sorely missing in the American media landscape right now. There is a great history of quality journalism at Al Jazeera, and I am looking forward to bringing all that to Al Jazeera America.
How can Americans be better served by the news media?
I think Americans are looking to hear and see compelling stories about subjects that go beyond what the existing networks are showing, whether it’s news from cities and towns all across the United States, or more international news. I think Americans are really looking to dive deeper into a hearty news diet than what they have available to them right now.
Can Al Jazeera do things that American networks can’t?
Coming into the American news landscape, the opportunity to innovate is something Al Jazeera can bring into the equation. We can start from scratch, producing in-depth, quality content for the viewers who are looking for something different. It will be a new product, not incremental tweaks in existing news formats.
Where does Al Jazeera fit in the America media landscape?
There’s such a strong history of good journalism in the United States of America, and it comes from all different segments of the media landscape. Frankly I think that Al Jazeera America will be filling in a gap that exists, taking different bits and pieces from a lot of different organizations that already exist. We’re just continuing in a strong tradition and bringing more innovative ways of looking at that strong tradition.
Al Jazeera America is a New York City-based news network that will launch on August 20, delivering domestic and international news aimed at US audiences. Visit AJAM’s website for more information.