As Al Jazeera takes over Current TV, Eliot Spitzer announced today that he is leaving the network effective immediately.
Former New York state governor Eliot Spitzer is on his way out the door from another television gig – this time due to changes at the top as Middle Eastern media giant Al Jazeera finalizes its deal to buy Al Gore’s Current TV channel for $500 million.
Spitzer, the disgraced politician turned liberal television host, is leaving his show ‘Viewpoint,’ he said on Sunday, noting that his professional relationship was with the station’s co-founders and not Al Jazeera, which is owned by the country Qatar.
Current TV’s mission will be different going forward, he said, emphasizing that the channel’s new owners will focus more on international newscasts rather than liberal analysis of the news.
‘I view Al Jazeera as a very serious journalistic outfit,’ Spitzer, 53, was quoting as saying. ‘They have proven to observers around the world that they are serious and objective.’
His 8pm talk show was the highlight of Current’s fledgling prime-time schedule, according to New York Times TV reporter Brian Stelter.
Last winter Current Media’s co-founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt asked Spitzer to take over the channel’s after-dinner slot as its host at that time, Keith Olbermann, was about to be fired.
Their offer came right after Time Warner announced its cancellation of Spitzer’s CNN talk show ‘In the Arena’ and put Anderson Cooper in his 8pm spot.
Mr. Spitzer's objectiveness can now be questioned with his seeming anti Arab reflex to the new owners of Current. This may not be the reason for his abrupt departure but the optics certainly support that view. I had always respected his public political views as honest and objective even if I didn't always agree with them. With this action it will be difficult to rail against similar hypocrisy by the Right and he has moved down a few notches on my respect meter.