U.S. newsman quits Al Jazeera

Former “Nightline” reporter Dave Marash has quit Al Jazeera English, saying his exit was due in part to an anti-American bias at a network that is little seen in this country.

Marash said he felt that attitude more from British administrators than Arabs at the Qatar-based network.

Marash was the highest-profile American TV personality hired when the English-language affiliate to Al Jazeera was started two years ago in an attempt to compete with CNN and the BBC. He said there was a “reflexive adversarial editorial stance” against Americans at Al Jazeera English.

Marash, who’s being replaced by former CNN International host Shihab Rattansi, said he was the last American-accented anchor at the network, which broadcasts from Washington, London, Kuala Lumpur and Doha, Qatar. He said there are more Canadians than Americans working at the Washington office.

Will Stebbins, Washington bureau chief for Al Jazeera English, denied any bias against Americans. “We certainly evaluate U.S. policy rigorously,” he said. “But we do our best to give everyone a fair shout.”