Which CNN Anchor Is Heading Over to Work at Al Jazeera?

Al Jazeera America is growing its cache of news anchors and correspondents announcing Friday that Ali Velshi, CNN’s anchor of “Your Money” and CNN International’s “World Business Today,” has joined its  primetime line-up.

Velshi, who has drawn criticism for what some consider his left-leaning bias, is slated to host an upcoming 30-minute magazine-style program. The program is yet-to-be named and will initially launch in a weekly format but is expected to move to a five-days-a-week schedule by year’s end.

The program is slated to cover a variety of topics including personal finance, employment, healthcare and education and will feature a mix of field reports and studio guests, according to the official Al Jazeera press release.

The program will also reportedly "draw upon the extensive global resources of the Al Jazeera Media Network and will employ specialists and other correspondents who will lend their expertise."

Ehab Al Shihabi, executive director of Al Jazeera international operations, said, “We are thrilled to secure Ali’s extraordinary talents and services.

"Al Jazeera America will be bringing respected, independent reporting to its viewers and that’s exactly the type of coverage Ali Velshi is known for.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining Al Jazeera America, an organization that puts quality, fact-based journalism first,” said Velshi. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and I look forward to taking advantage of the extraordinary U.S. news-gathering capabilities the channel is building and working with such a diverse and talented group of colleagues to tell compelling stories that matter to Americans.”

Al Shihabi said that Velshi is exactly the kind of journalist that viewers will be able to find on Al Jazeera America. “As is the case with Ali, all Al Jazeera America reporters will be fiercely objective, substantively strong, and absolutely committed to the truth,” he said.

In late 2012 former vice president Al Gore came under fire for agreeing to sell his failing Current TV network to Al Jazeera America. Since that time, the Qatar-based media network is seeking to build its roster of talent, with Velshi serving as the network's first prominent American hire.