MSNBC loses 33% of primetime audience during coverage of Israel war while Fox and CNN surge
By Alexandra Steigrad
Published Oct. 12, 2023, 1:20 p.m. ET
MSNBC — which has been slammed for refusing to refer to Hamas attackers as terrorists during its coverage — has lost 33% of its primetime viewers since the deadly attack on Israel. The cable news channel — home to anchors Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Joy Reid — saw its total viewer figures plunge 24% for the four days between Oct. 7 and 10, compared to the same period the previous week. Meanwhile, rival Fox News has gotten a 42% jolt in total viewers, and even ratings-challenged CNN saw a 17% spike as new boss Mark Thompson took the reins this week. Fox handily won in primetime over the four-day period, averaging 2.1 million, according to Nielsen. MSNBC came in second with 960,000 and CNN logged 760,000 viewers.
MSNBC has drawn intense criticism [I didn't hear "intense criticism" but it's the NY Post where everything draws intense criticism] over its coverage of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200, including 25 Americans. The network has run a joint death toll graphic that lumps the casualties together, unlike other networks that separate the number of Israelis killed from those in Gaza. NewsNation host Dan Abrams singled out MSNBC anchors Ayman Mohyeldin, Mehdi Hasan, and Ali Velshi for saying the Hamas assault was the result of “failed policies” by Israel and the US.
“Right. It’s Israel’s fault. It’s the United States fault,” Abrams said mockingly on Monday. “The policies that somehow justify or even explain the slaughter, rapes, and kidnapping of innocent civilians.” “And that ridiculous commentary set the tone for much of MSNBC’s coverage throughout the weekend, where many hosts seemed determined to say, ‘Well, what about the Palestinians?’” The host of “Dan Abrams Live!” called out MSNBC’s push for “nuance” and context, but said it isn’t necessary when it’s a “story that fits their political agenda” such as an “officer-involved shooting.”
“Look, this is not a both-sides story, period,” Abrams said. noting that since Saturday, the network has made 441 references to Hamas terrorists or “the fighters”– in an effort to avoid calling them “terrorists.” Network veteran Andrea Mitchell also came under fire for asking an Israeli mother, whose 12- and 16-year-old sons were abducted by Hamas terrorists, about Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The mother, who was visibly shaken by Michell’s line of questioning, replied: “I can’t be sympathetic to animal-human beings — well, they’re not really human beings — who came into my house, broke everything, stole everything, took my children from their bedrooms and took them to the Gaza Strip.”
“Israel never done that, and it will never do. So there is no symmetry! I’m sorry,” the mom said. “If you were dealing with a war who is between two countries, countries don’t take children hostages. I’m sorry. It’s against the laws of war. It’s against humanity. It’s against anything that we all believe in.” She concluded: “Every time we had missiles shot at us, I used to say to my children that they should be sympathetic towards the children of Gaza because they suffer a lot more than they do.” “I think any mother in the world should try and imagine her children under that situation and then think again,” she said. “That’s all I want.”
The Post has reached out to MSNBC for comment. Meanwhile, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst has won praise for his fearless coverage of the war.
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