MSNBC’s Primetime Viewership Drops by 33% Amid Israel War Coverage
OAN’s James Meyers
1:42 PM – Thursday, October 12, 2023
News Network MSNBC lost 33% of its primetime viewers since the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.
The news channel has been heavily criticized for their refusal to label Hamas assailants as “terrorists” during its coverage of the conflict.
MSNBC, which is home to progressive commentators like Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, and Lawrence O’Donnell, had its total viewership drop 24% for the four days between October 7th and the 10th compared to the same period the week prior.
With the drop-off, media rival Fox News has seen a 42% increase in total viewership and CNN saw a 17% rise as new CNN boss Mark Thompson stepped into his position this week.
Fox won the ratings battle easily during the four-day period, averaging 2.1 million. According to Nielsen, MSNBC took second with 960,000 and CNN took in 760,000 viewers.
MSNBC reportedly angered viewers for continuously running a joint death-toll graphic that illustrated the number of all casualties together from both Israel and Gaza, differing from other networks who separated the number of Israelis killed from those killed in Gaza.
Earlier this week, NewsNation host Dan Abrams also called out anchors Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Velshi, and Mehdi Hasan for saying that the Hamas attack was a result of the United States and Israel’s “failed policies.”
“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?’”
“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.”
Additionally, veteran anchor Andrea Mitchell also faced scrutiny for distastefully asking an Israeli mother, whose 12 and 16-year-old sons were kidnapped by Hamas, about Israeli air strike retaliation in the Gaza Strip.
The mother was caught off guard by the question and extremely emotional, saying: “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.”
Meanwhile, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst has been commended for his heroic coverage of the war so far.
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Why have Fox News and CNN seen an increase in viewership during this period of backlash against MSNBC?
Ooms, and kidnapped them. They’re terrorists, not human beings.”
Many viewers took to social media to express their outrage and disappointment with MSNBC‘s coverage of the Hamas attack. The hashtag #BoycottMSNBC began trending on Twitter, with users calling for a boycott of the network.
It is not uncommon for news networks to face criticism for their coverage of sensitive and controversial topics. However, in this case, the backlash against MSNBC seems to be particularly strong due to their perceived bias in favor of Hamas. By avoiding the term “terrorists” and focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a one-sided issue, MSNBC has angered many viewers who believe they are not providing balanced and objective reporting.
Fox News and CNN, on the other hand, have seen an increase in viewership during this period. This could be attributed to their coverage being perceived as more fair and unbiased. With the recent appointment of Mark Thompson as the new boss of CNN, it seems that the network is making efforts to improve its image and regain viewer trust.
It remains to be seen how MSNBC will respond to the backlash and whether they will make any changes to their coverage. As the media landscape continues to evolve, news networks must be mindful of the public’s expectations for fair and objective reporting. Failure to do so can result in a loss of viewership and trust, as we have seen in this case.
Ultimately, it is up to the viewers to decide which news networks they trust and support. In this highly polarized media environment, it is more important than ever to critically evaluate the news we consume and seek out diverse perspectives.
Disclaimer: This is a satirical article and should not be taken as factual information.
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