Tony Burman heads up Al Jazeera English's US expansion plans

Al Jazeera is planning to increase its expansion in North America with the appointment of Tony Burman as chief strategic advisor for the Americas.

Burman has been managing director of Al Jazeera English (AJE) since May 2008 and will take up his new post at the end of June.

In addition, AJE will continue to expand its presence in North America by opening additional news bureaux in the U.S., increasing coverage of Latin America and adding new programming to reflect AJE's commitment to cover the world comprehensively with fairness, intelligence and depth.

In his new post Burman will oversee the opening of new news bureaux in the US, increased coverage of Latin America and new programming to reflect its American expansion, says a release from AJE.

A former editor in chief of CBC News in Canada, Burman has experience of growing Al Jazeera's brand in North America, having helped launch AJE on cable in Canada last month and in Washington DC last year.

"This is a bold initiative that comes at a challenging time in this 21st century. More than ever, people want to understand the wider world and we are expanding our news and current affairs coverage to achieve that at the same time other organisations are cutting back," says Burman in the release.

According to the news group, Al Jazeera English's TV programming is now broadcast in more than 100 countries.

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).