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The Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by Qatar, has shuttered down its right-wing outlet Righty, according to an Axios report on Tuesday.
It was launched in February 2021 and stopped putting out content in December.
Brad Polumbo, a libertarian political commentator who appeared on Rightly, told Axios that Rightly was shuttered.
“I had a great experience there,” he told the outlet. “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.”
Michael Weaver, senior vice president of business development and growth at Al Jazeera Media Network, told Axios, “As far as Rightly, we’re still evaluating the brand itself. We’re constantly evaluating everything we put on the air.”
Despite Rightly being shut down, Qatar will likely not go away in terms of trying to sway U.S. opinion.
“Qatar understands the need to have links to both the Left and the Right in the US, and even to local publications due to the fact that in the U.S. political trends shift over time and countries need to have influence with both voters and officials no matter who is in power,” international affairs expert Irina Tsukerman previously told Mediaite. Tsukerman is editor-in-chief of The Washington Outsider, which primarily focuses on the issues in the Middle East and North Africa.
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