Al Jazeera International has added Rageh Omaar to the line-up of wellknown journalists who will work with the channel from its launch in Spring 2006.
Omaar (pictured) will host a daily documentary programme, Witness, from the station’s London broadcast centre.
The programme will tell the stories of witnesses from all over the globe.
Content will be gathered from the channel’s broadcast centres around the world (Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC), drawing on the increasing number of video journalists who have access to parts of the world which can be difficult to report from.
Omaar was most recently BBC News’ Africa correspondent based in Johannesburg. His reporting during the Iraq war made him a household name.
Witness will include material gathered from freelances and independent companies all over the world through a unique commissioning site: www.ajicommissioning.net Other journalists who have recently joined the channel include ITV’s Felicity Barr as anchor and Lauren Taylor as correspondent for the London broadcast centre. Barr, who joins the channel from ITV Evening News, will co-present the news with Stephen Cole, former senior presenter for BBC World.
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