Reporter who refused to go to Iraq joins Al Jazeera

Posted by Martin Stabe on 4 April 2006 at 12:28
Tags: Al Jazeera, Journalism, War reporting

Al Jazeera International has added Richard Gizbert to its lineup of journalists for its launch, whenever that may be.
Gizbert will present Listening Post, a programme examining what the world’s media — everything from blogs to major outlets — covers (or fails to cover). The programme will be produced by Manchester-based Moonbeam Films, which was also behind BBC4’s media programme The Desk.

Gizbert, a long-time London-based freelance for ABC News, won an Employment Tribunal hearing for unfair dismissal after the American network did not renew his contract when he refused to go to Iraq. At their annual meeting last month, the National Union of Journalists decided to back Gizbert in the expected appeals by ABC.

(Contrary to some reports, it is unlikely that Gizbert’s defection to the Qatari network will incur the wrath of his Canadian compatriots.)

Yesterday, Five News presenter Barbara Serra joined the Qatar-based network. In recent months, the upstart channel has been aggressively recuiting high-profile English-language broadcasters. Stephen Cole, a former senior presenter for BBC World, will co-anchor from London with Felicity Barr, who joined joined from the ITV Evening News. Barnaby Phillips joined from the BBC to serve as a Europe correspondent based in Athens. Lauren Taylor, ex-ITV, is another London-based corresponent for the new channel. Sir David Frost will host a a weekly interview-led programme on al Jazeera, and former BBC Africa correspondent Rageh Omaar will host a daily documentary programme, Witness. David Foster, formerly of Sky News, will present from Doha. Also on the Al Jazeera roster are former ITN News at Ten editor John Pullman, and former ITV foreign editor Al Anstey and his deputy Nick Walshe, as well as ex-Tribune editor Mark Seddon.

A similar poaching spree has been occurring in the United States. Lucia Newman, previously Havana correspondent for CNN, will report from Buenos Aires and Mariana Sanchez will report from Caracas. In a column published in yesterday’s New York Daily News, the ormer presenter of ABC’s Nightline, David Marash, explained why he had joined Al Jazeera. Marash, who will anchor Al Jazeera International from Washington, wrote: “Al Jazeera International will do fewer stories each half hour than our cable news competitors, and our selection is likely to be different. Hopefully, this will allow us to probe a little bit deeper into stories that matter, to add some real value to your information bank.”

There have been rumours of a row between AJI and the established Arabic-languge rolling news channel. Al Jazeera MD Wadah Khanfar has been appointed director-general of Al Jazeera Satellite Network, a new umbrella for the two channels.