More than 100 staff members at the Qatar-based news site Al Jazeera signed an open letter objecting to the launch of a new right-wing news outlet from their parent company, according to The Guardian.
Al Jazeera recently launched “Rightly,” a conservative news outlet aiming to expand the company’s reach to right-of-center segments of the public.
More than 100 Al Jazeera staff members have signed a letter to management saying the launch of this new right-wing outlet will “irreparably tarnish the network’s brand and work,” according to the Guardian.
Open letter signed by more than 100 Al Jazeera staff says Rightly, its new rightwing digital channel, betrays the outlet’s journalism and tarnishes the brand (@safimichael / The Guardian)https://t.co/przwoYxCzYhttps://t.co/Oj4ansu63e
— Mediagazer (@mediagazer) February 25, 2021
In the letter, top leaders of the media site said the launch of “Rightly” would be “an affront to the ethical, journalistic and editorial vision and guidelines of Al Jazeera,” the Guardian reported. (REPORT: Al Jazeera Launching Right-Wing Media Company)
“Media in the US is already polarised, and the introduction of ‘Rightly’ is not a solution but rather a deepening of the problem,” the letter said. “Those of us who work in the United States already face tremendous challenges, and our jobs will only be made more difficult now that we will be associated with promoting a political ideology.”
Scott Norvell was previously announced as the new editor-in-chief of Rightly. Norvell was a former Fox News writer who last worked at the network in 2009.
“This isn’t about politics, left or right, or diversity of perspectives … This is about journalism and continuing the network’s moral mission of uplifting marginalised voices, communities, and stories. ‘Rightly’ is a betrayal of that mission,” the employees’ letter stated.