Also bizarre.
The BBC is reporting that famed broadcaster Sir David Frost has joined al-Jazeera TV:
Sir David is to appear on al-Jazeera International, the pan-Arab news network’s new English-language channel, due to be launched next spring.
The Qatar-based channel said Sir David, who broadcast his final Breakfast with Frost programme for the BBC in May, would be among the “key on-air talent”.
Sir David was quoted as saying he felt “excitement” about his new role.
“Most of the television I have done over the years has been aimed at British and American audiences,” he said.
“This time, while our target is still Britain and America, the excitement is that it is also the six billion other inhabitants of the globe.”
If nothing else, this hire gives al-Jazeera instant credibility. All many of us know about al-Jazeera comes from the excellent (and must-see, whatever your position on the Iraq War) documentary Control Room (2004), but, even there, it was clear that the broadcaster spun the news its own way — not to jihadism, to be sure, but to skepticism towards the West (and towards America in particular) and to a kind of liberalized Arab nationalism. It’ll be interesting to see how Frost will fit in, but also to see how al-Jazeera approaches a largely Western audience as it expands beyond the Middle East.