Joie Chen is the latest high-profile TV news reporter to join Al Jazeera America.
Chen, a 10-year veteran of CNN, will host the start-up network’s prime-time showcase, “America Tonight,” when Al Jazeera America launches Aug. 20, replacing Current TV.
She joins former ABC News reporter Sheila MacVicar — and fellow ex-CNNers Ali Velshi and Soledad O’Brien — as “name” personalities who’ve joined Al Jazeera America of late as the network prepares for its launch.
“America Tonight” will air weeknights from 9 to 10.
“What we really want to do is tell stories across America and international stories through the prism of an American audience,” the show’s executive producer, Kim Bondy, told The Post.
“We really want to shine the light on stories we feel are under-reported. I tell my staff, ‘You have to meet people where they live and report on issues they care about.’ For the American family, that might be the gang problem in Chicago and how to get your kids to school safely.
“Though we’re based in Washington, we’re not about policy or pushing policy — we’re about telling character-driven stories.”
Bondy was asked about the perception that Al Jazeera America — owned by the government of Qatar — will be more attuned to the Arab world, both in its coverage and editorial tone. “I think that’s a fair question. The few times that’s come up for me I say, give us a chance, watch and see what kind of stories we do and judge us in three months,” she said.
“I’ve been with the company since late April and the most consistent guidance I’ve gotten is, ‘Tell great stories.’ ”
Bondy called Chen “a great communicator and storyteller.”
“She has that natural curiosity that’s so important for a journalist,” she said. “She worked on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ and spent years on the anchor desk at CNN . . . She’s done it all.”