Al Jazeera quietly halts content for its 'Rightly' conservative outlet

The Qatari-funded media network Al Jazeera recently decided to quietly discontinue its conservative effort, "Rightly." Last month, the company decided to stop work on the site and let any leftover contracts run themselves out.

The scoop by Axios describes the shuttering of "Rightly" as being a "budgetary" matter, ultimately. It's highlighted that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio saw the fledgling outlet as a vector of concern when it came to Al Jazerra not registering as a foreign agent. Similar pressure and attention was focused on the network's "AJ+" brand.

"As far as Rightly, we're still evaluating the brand itself. We're constantly evaluating everything we put on the air," Al Jazeera's Michael Weaver told Axios.

Former staffer Brad Polumbo confirmed its shuttering to the outlet: "I had a great experience there. It's disappointing that it was cut short but we'll still have that work we did as part of our portfolio and to be proud of going forward."

One of the headliners at the venture's launch was host Stephen Kent. He had told TRT World that Al Jazeera's leadership pulled the plug on things in "early December." Editor-in-chief Scott Norvell, a Fox News veteran, is expected to stay on "Rightly" for at least a few more months, but will eventually depart as well.

"We didn't know what Rightly was. It came on the heels of a far-right insurrection in DC. We were confused and it seemed like, at the very least, very bad timing," an anonymous source identifed as a former Al Jazeera employee told TRT World.

When it was launched last year, Kent described his motivations in the press announcement as a show that "is going to be about searching for a home if you're someone who doesn’t feel represented in the current political climate."

"The majority of Americans want a sane political conversation rooted in humility and openness. We're going to do just that by hosting weekly conversations on the state of the right and have some fun doing it," Kent said at the time.

When "Rightly" was introduced in February, its stated mission from the outset was to cater to conservatives. But the remarks at the time came off of a US political landscape that was still heavily under former President Donald Trump's shadow, and not acquainted with what to expect from the Biden administration, as of yet.

That was the collective sentiment from an open letter to management that "more than 100" Al Jazeera staff reportedly signed, lamenting in a public complaint that trying to entertain right-wing Americans was a lost cause.