WFAA's Jonathan Betz Defects to Al Jazeera America

When WFAA's Jonathan Betz announced in May that he was leaving the station after five years to work in New York. The only question was For whom?. "I can't say exactly where I'll be working yet, but I'll still be doing the news," he cryptically told Uncle Barky at the...

By Eric Nicholson

July 11, 2013

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When WFAA's Jonathan Betz announced in May that he was leaving the station after five years to work in New York. The only question was For whom?.

"I can't say exactly where I'll be working yet, but I'll still be doing the news," he cryptically told Uncle Barky at the time. "It's a great opportunity, and I'm extremely excited."

Two months later, we have our answer:

I'm extremely excited to be a part of the @ajam team! Really looking forward to our launch!
— Jonathan Betz (@jebetz) July 11, 2013

That's Al Jazeera America, for those of you not up to speed on the Twitter handles of soon-to-be-launched Qatar-based U.S. news networks. Betz is one of four anchors who will help launch the network, according to a news release.

Al Jazeera's introductory bio on Betz doesn't delve into his four years in Dallas, other than to say he was a field reporter and fill-in anchor. It's much more interested in his award-winning work leading New Orleans' WWL-TV's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The bio also somehow neglects to mention the fact that he's a Richardson High School graduate, which, as a fellow graduate of that esteemed institution, is a shame.

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