Al Jazeera America announced on Wednesday that it was replacing its chief executive, Ehab Al Shihabi, who had held that position since the network’s founding two years ago.
It was the latest move in what had already been a tumultuous week for the network. Since last week, three top officials have announced their departures from the company and another former employee has sued the network, claiming wrongful termination. One of the executives who departed, Marcy McGinnis, told The New York Times in an article published on Tuesday that Mr. Al Shihabi had meddled with news decisions and fostered a “culture of fear” in the newsroom.
Mr. Al Shihabi told employees in a subsequent email that he would remain as chief operating officer. However, an Al Jazeera executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Mr. Al Shihabi’s departure from the network was “imminent.” The network declined to comment.
The decision to remove Mr. Al Shihabi from the chief executive position appears to have been a sudden one. He conducted a regular meeting with senior executive producers at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in which he gave no hint of personnel changes, according to an employee who was present but spoke on the condition of anonymity. Newsroom members said the announcement of his ouster, which came in a companywide email sent Wednesday afternoon, caught them off guard.
Mr. Al Shihabi will be succeeded as chief executive by Al Anstey, who has been managing director of Al Jazeera English since 2010.
“Having started my career with CBS News, and lived in the U.S. later in my career, I’m very pleased to be returning to the U.S. to continue to uphold the highest standards of organizational excellence at the channel, with an absolute commitment to the very best in journalism and storytelling,” Mr. Anstey said in a statement.
Ms. McGinnis, who resigned on Monday and was a former executive at CBS News, said she supported the change in leadership.
“This was the right thing to do for the employees and for the company,” she said. “This was a necessary step, and it’s time to put this chapter behind them.”
She said she worked with Mr. Anstey two decades ago at CBS, when she said he was a “smart up-and-coming journalist.” She added, “The good thing about Al is that he’s a journalist.”
Before joining Al Jazeera, Mr. Al Shihabi worked as a management consultant. He did not have a background in journalism.
In a statement, Mostefa Souag, the acting director general of the Al Jazeera Media Network, said he was “confident Al’s leadership will transform the channel’s ability to lead in the U.S. marketplace. His demonstrated success leading Al Jazeera English and his passion for the Al Jazeera brand positions him with the unique ability to undertake the strategic changes needed for the success of the channel.”
Al Jazeera America has had a difficult time gaining any traction in the United States, drawing about 30,000 viewers a night. At times, it has struggled to match the low ratings of its predecessor, Current TV.
Additionally, Al Jazeera America employees said its newsroom was dysfunctional and that morale was low under Mr. Al Shihabi’s leadership. In a newsroomwide meeting last week, employees complained that they feared retaliation if they were critical of the network. In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Al Shihabi defended the network’s journalism and said he was “committed to raise the morale” of his staff.
Read more: Al Jazeera America Chief Is Ousted After Turmoil
Source: NYTIMES
