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Al Jazeera English is hiring an ex-CNN reporter who left the outlet after losing a $5 million defamation case brought by a former Navy sailor.
The Qatar-based news network tapped CNN’s former chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt to anchor its coverage of America’s 250th anniversary before taking over the network’s Washington-based daily program, “This Is America.”
The broadcaster also hired former CNN national politics correspondent Eva McKend as a Washington correspondent.
Marquardt unveiled his new role in a video filmed from a rooftop overlooking the US Capitol, telling viewers: “I’ve just joined Al Jazeera, and I’m going to be anchoring the coverage of the US two hundred and fiftieth anniversary from up here … for the next few days.”
After leading coverage of the Fourth of July weekend, Marquardt said he will become the regular presenter of Al Jazeera English’s Washington-based daily program, “This Is America.”
Marquardt, who spent eight years at CNN, praised his new employer in the announcement.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Al Jazeera’s for a very long time. They do some of the very best reporting from all around the world. Really excited to get started here,” he said.
CNN dropped Marquardt last year after a jury ruled that he defamed Zachary Young in 2021 by claiming the former sailor illegally exploited Afghans during the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from the country.
According to the Status newsletter, CNN informed Marquardt that he was being let go over unspecified “editorial differences” after conducting a post-settlement ethics review, though the network declined to comment publicly because it was a personnel matter.
Young sued CNN after alleging the network falsely portrayed him as a “black market” profiteer who exploited desperate Afghans during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In fact, he worked with corporate sponsors and nonprofit organizations to facilitate evacuations, Young said.
Marquardt defended his reporting during testimony at trial.
CNN stood by Marquardt throughout the litigation, promoting him to chief national security correspondent after the lawsuit was filed and continuing to assign him major national security stories and anchor fill-in duties, according to Status.
McKend said she is joining the network as a Washington correspondent after spending the last several years covering American politics at CNN.
“I’m excited to share I’ve joined @aljazeeraenglish as a Washington Correspondent,” she wrote on Instagram.
The Harlem native, who confirmed her Instagram post when contacted by The Post, traced her career from covering lawmakers in upstate New York to reporting in Vermont, Capitol Hill and eventually CNN.
“Through every assignment, whether it was inside the halls of Congress, on campaign buses, in convention arenas or at kitchen tables across the country, I’ve always tried to center marginalized groups,” she wrote on Instagram.
She said she was “honored to continue that work for a global audience.”
The hires give Al Jazeera English two recognizable former CNN journalists as it expands its Washington bench ahead of a new slate of US political programming.
The Post has sought comment from CNN, Al Jazeera and Marquardt.
English (US)