Free Range
How the news changes when journalism becomes content.
In December 2023, Mehdi Hasan, the British American journalist, posted on X that his weekly MSNBC program, The Mehdi Hasan Show, had been canceled. The final episode would air in a few weeks’ time. Fans were shocked. For many on the left, Hasan’s show represented something rare on cable television: his interviews were hard-hitting, his coverage thorough and unapologetic. Speculation swirled that Hasan had been too outspoken about Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, then in its early weeks, for MSNBC’s comfort—and that of its advertisers and executives.
In the aftermath of the announcement, it appeared Hasan would stay on at MSNBC as a fill-in host and guest analyst. But he was never really comfortable with the idea, he told me. “Being on the bench—that wasn’t really an option for me,” Hasan said. “It was kind of a no-brainer that I was going to leave MSNBC and make sure I had my voice.” It was an election year. Gaza was being obliterated by American-supplied bombs. Hasan had things to say.
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