Veronica Pedrosa joins Al Jazeera

Pedrosa will be the channel's news anchor in their Kuala Lumpur news broadcast centre, one of Al Jazeera International's four regional broadcast centres strategically placed across the world in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington DC.

Nigel Parsons, Managing Director, Al Jazeera International, said,

"I am pleased to confirm that award winning journalist Veronica Pedrosa has joined the channel. Her high journalistic standards and approach to news reporting are in-line with the station's aim of bringing the world a fresh 360 degree perspective on world news while maintaining the highest journalistic standards."

"I am thrilled and honoured to be joining the most exciting initiative in international news for decades. Al Jazeera International's going to offer viewers a genuine alternative to the western dominated news of the past. We'll be accurate, impartial and objective and try to redefine viewers' expectations of what truly global news should be in the twenty first century," said Veronica Pedrosa.

Speaking on Pedrosa's appointment, Director of News, Steve Clark said, "I am delighted to announce that Veronica Pedrosa will be the principal news anchor in our Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre which will be responsible for China, South East Asia and Australasia bringing news to English speaking viewers around the world for several hours each day."

Named 'Best News Anchor" at the ninth Asian Television Awards 2004, Pedrosa brings 15 years' international news experience to Al Jazeera International. She joins the channel from CNN International where she has been based with them in Asia since early 2000. Prior to that she worked with BBC World Television and BBC World Service Radio in London presenting news bulletins and feature programmes including 'The Week' and 'Asia Today'. Previously Perdrosa was a news anchor for CNN International at their headquarters in Atlanta.

During her career Pedrosa has brought viewers news on all the major global and regional news events and has interviewed a wide range of world figures including Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

She has also hosted a range of special reports and programmes including dedicated Indian theme weeks in New Delhi and Mumbai and two special live series examining the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings and the killer disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Veronica began her career in journalism in Manila as a television reporter, presenter and producer for the national network ABS-CBN, she also reported freelance for print and radio outlets.

Veronica grew up in exile in London after her mother, herself a journalist, wrote a biography of the then First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She was educated at St Paul's Girls School in London and Newham College, Cambridge.