New Al Jazeera America chief Al Anstey says the broadcaster's commitment to providing information that's trusted, challenges, inspires and ultimately inspires "may sound like great PR," but it's a fact.

"Decisions and organizations need to be questioned and challenged. Moments of achievement and celebration merit coverage. That's our job. No spin. No infotainment. No opinion inherent in our output. Just powerful stories and people to be heard," he wrote in a staff memo.

Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English, is taking the helm following the May 6 ouster of Ehab Al Shihabi.in the wake of staff upheaval and the filing on an anti-Semitism/sexual discrimination lawsuit.

He said the broadcaster must stand up to all scrutiny, according to Anstey.

"The more powerful our content, the more we will be challenged by those that want us to tell stories their way," he wrote. "We must be confident, and we must have courage in our journalism. And we must always be correct with our facts, and honest with our viewers. "

He looks forward to meeting with staffers and plans a Q&A session to "articulate and debate the editorial DNA of AJA."

Anstey promises to answer all questions "openly, honestly, and with the aim of bringing the team together with a unified mission and spirit."

Qorvis handled Al Jazeera America's PR under Al Shihabi.