Liberal media advocates are howling in protest over MSNBC’s decision this week to nix Mehdi Hasan’s weekend program, saying the optics of removing a Muslim host during Israel’s war with Gaza is at best a serious miscalculation.
According to The Washington Post, an array of liberals from Democratic congressmen to former MSNBC hosts were furious when the news was announced, praising Hasan as one of the few network hosts willing to grill his guests, especially representatives of the Israeli government about civilian deaths in Gaza. While other weekend hosts who lost their standalone shows were granted new opportunities, Hasan was demoted to fill-in host and political analyst.
The result prompted outrage from Congresswoman Ro Khanna (D-CA).
“It is bad optics for MSNBC to cancel @mehdirhasan’s show right at a time when he is vocal for human rights in Gaza with the war ongoing,” he wrote. “As a strong supporter of free speech, MSNBC owes the public an explanation for this decision. Why would they choose to do this now?”
“MSNBC canceled Mehdi Hasan’s show. Because, of course, they did,” wrote former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur. “It’s not just because he treats Muslims…
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