Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network that has previously sought to become a liberal media force in the US, is launching a rightwing platform to target conservatives, it was revealed on Tuesday.
The new effort, called Rightly, will target Republicans who “feel left out of conservative media”, Politico reported, and will be led by a former Fox News journalist.
Al Jazeera became a significant presence in the US in 2013, when it launched the left-leaning Al Jazeera America news channel and website. The network, which is based in Doha and funded by the state of Qatar, closed down the US-facing TV channel in 2016, but has remained a significant presence online with its AJPlus video network. Its international channel – Al Jazeera English – is also popular in the US.
The launch of a conservative effort comes at a time of increasing extremism of existing rightwing news sources in America.
In recent months Fox News, the go-to news channel for the American right, has lurched even further to the right, as it faces threats from the new, ultra-conservative TV channels NewsMax and One America News.
Politico reported that Scott Norvell, a former Fox News staffer, will be editor-in-chief of Rightly, which will launch its first conservative-focused show on Thursday.
The show will be called Right Now with Stephen Kent, according to Politico, and will be hosted by Stephen Kent, a political commentator.
Al Jazeera and Kent did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Kent retweeted news of the platform on Tuesday morning.
Kent is currently the host of a podcast focused on Star Wars + Politics, and has a book deal with Center Street, a conservative book company which has published works by far-right authors including Donald Trump Jr and Corey Lewandowski.
Privately, some Al Jazeera staff expressed dismay at the launch of Rightly, wondering how it squared with the network’s previously stated commitments to giving voice to marginalized communities.