Al Jazeera America has announced its first four news anchors as it prepares to launch in August: Jonathan Betz, Richelle Carey, Morgan Fogarty and Del Walters will read the news from Al Jazeera America’s studio in New York City.
“This talented and trusted group of on-air talent is a further indication of the quality and depth of journalism experience that Al Jazeera America is attracting,” said Bob Wheelock, senior executive producer for news and special projects. “Their previous work across the United States will help to ensure that our daily newscasts include objective reporting on the stories from around the block and around the globe that have a real impact on each American’s lives.”
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Betz spent four years at WFAA-TV Channel 8 in Dallas, as a field reporter and fill-in anchor. He was previously a reporter for WWL-TV Channel 4 in New Orleans, where he led the station’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina, for which he and the WWL-TV news team won Alfred I. duPont and George Foster Peabody Awards.
Carey is an Emmy Award-winning reporter who spent the last seven years with CNN in Atlanta. She was also a weekday anchor for CNN’s HLN.
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Fogarty was been part of the Emmy-award winning WCCB News at Ten in Charlotte, N.C. for nearly a decade, and was the broadcast's main anchor for the past three years. She previously co-anchored WCCB News Edge. Her awards include several from the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Associated Press.
Walters spent more than two decades as an anchor and senior investigative reporter for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. where he was awarded more than 20 Emmy Awards. He left in 2004 to be the managing editor of investigative operations at WMAR-TV in Baltimore. In 2006, Walters started his own production company 3PE Productions, producing the critically acclaimed film “Apocalypse Africa, Made in America.” He was recently awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award for his hour-long feature on Haiti.
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Earlier this month, Al Jazeera America announced a deal with former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien in which she will contribute short segments and her production company, Starfish Media Group, will produce hour-long documentary specials.