Former CBC Exec Heads to Al Jazeera English

DOHA, May 14: Tony Burman
has joined the Middle East-based English-language news channel Al Jazeera English
as its new managing director, replacing Nigel Parsons, who has taken on a new
role at the flagship Al Jazeera Network.

Burman was most recently
the editor-in-chief and executive director of CBC News and has been a news and
documentary producer with field experience in more than 30 countries and
several continents, including the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Latin America.
As the head of CBC’s news and current affairs operations, Burman implemented
the successful integration of CBC’s radio, TV and online operations.

Parsons has been named as
the managing director of business acquisition and development at the Al Jazeera
Network. He played a key role in the launch of the English-language feed of the
channel in 2006. In his new role, based in Doha, he will capitalize on his
experience launching Al Jazeera English to oversee new business opportunities
and focus on providing access to Al Jazeera’s content to other news
organizations globally.

Wadah Khanfar, the
director general of the Al Jazeera Network, stated:

“Al Jazeera welcomes Tony
in his new role and we look forward to his contribution in building on Al
Jazeera’s success as one of the world’s most influential broadcast news brands.
The current change is designed to enrich the core of Al Jazeera’s
mission—its journalism of depth, its commitment to providing a diversity
of viewpoints, its dedication to giving ‘a voice to the voiceless’ and ensuring
that the human story is at the centre of the news agenda.”

He continued: “Nigel has a
wealth of experience managing Al Jazeera English’s successful launch. We look
forward to seeing this knowledge and experience help introduce new Al Jazeera
initiatives into markets around the world.”

—By CONTACT _Con-3E46825C1 c s l Irene Lew