Some of MSNBC’s Most Prominent Journalists Are Ignoring Gaza — Why?

[Karmadillo]

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/some-of-msnbcs-most-prominent-journalists-are-ignoring-gaza-why/

As Israel continues to inflict mass death and trauma on Gaza, influential liberal media figures are mostly staying silent.

MSNBC reporter Adam Serwer has said conspicuously little since the offensive began over three weeks ago. Because the causes of this conflict are so deeply bound up with US political conditions — American taxpayers supply the Israeli government $3.1 billion in annual military aid, and the Obama administration has just authorized shipping over an additional round of munitions — Serwer’s near-total avoidance of the topic seems curious. Having first rose to prominence as a “civil liberties blogger” at the now-defunct American Prospect magazine, there are a multitude of angles from which Serwer might cover Gaza that would accord with his longstanding beat.

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Worst of all, perhaps, has been Rachel Maddow, who’s ignored Gaza to the point of absurdity, engendering widespread scorn on Twitter and elsewhere.

Despite her reputation as an astute analyst of U.S. foreign policy (she wrote an entire book on it) Maddow has allocated substantial airtime over the past 25 days to such topics as “Impeachment threat electrifies Dem base,” but almost none to Gaza. Between July 26 and July 31 — the period of Israel’s most intense escalation yet — she covered the conflict not even once, according to her MSNBC show page. Wondering if Maddow could ever be impelled to scrutinize Israel, Twitter user Jonathan Cohn sardonically asked, “What if the siege on Gaza were really just a major traffic jam caused by Chris Christie?”

more...

[MFM008]

1. I noticed that

Ed, Matthews, yeah its like the elephant in the room.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

2. I don't blame them.

It's a no win situation!

[LittleBlue]

3. Maddow is a tool, as is the rest of the corporate media. nt

[cpwm17]

4. Perhaps this was the last time Rachel Maddow really covered the issue

In 2009:

Pro-Israel racist propaganda

[Karmadillo]

7. She was so forthright for Israel in this segment. I wonder why she's so quiet now.

[slipslidingaway]

5. Gave up on the "liberal" MSNBC a long time ago when ...

Olbermann decided to have John and Elizabeth Edwards on for the fifth 'anniversary' week of the Iraq invasion.

During the primary elections MSNBC ignored those who voted against the IWR and gave voice to those who had it wrong, that told me something was terribly wrong.

[GeorgeGist]

6. Hush money ...

in the guise of elaborate salaries.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

8. CNN is covering Gaza almost non-stop

While I don't usually watch them, especially during elections, I find myself turning them on first thing every day because of their attention to this story. Why would all CNN's hosts have been told to cover the middle east conflict, while MSNBC's hosts told to avoid the story like the plague? The black out on MSNBC is obviously a network executive decision.

[flamingdem]

10. I think this is why MSNBC is offering an alternative

Plus they don't have the resources overseas.

[Nightjock]

9. It might be a ratings decision

That does not make it right but it is another reason.
In this age of the DVR they know what stories viewers are fast forwarding, deleting, skipping over, ect. (that goes for commercials too)Perhaps the data shows people don't want to see it and are not watching.
ONCE AGAIN-I am not implying that makes not covering it the correct thing to do. (This is the intertoobs and you cannot tell my tone in which I am "speaking&quot