10,000 signatures reached
To: MSNBC
Don’t silence your Muslim broadcasters! Affirm your commitment to fair and unbiased reporting.
_1.png)
Following the escalating Israeli-Palestinian crisis, MSNBC quietly sidelined three of its Muslim broadcasters from their hosting duties. If they thought viewers would either not notice or not care, they were wrong. We’re watching and we demand MSNBC do better. We need to make it clear that limiting the perspectives of Muslim broadcasters, reporters, or analysts during high profile moments where their expertise is both relevant and needed is unacceptable. Sign the petition to demand that MSNBC stop any silencing of or sidelining against their Muslim broadcasters, and call for fair and balanced news reporting.
Why is this important?
Over an average of 800,000 people tune in to MSNBC’s prime news every day. It is unacceptable for a trusted news source to sideline, silence, or censor their Muslim broadcasters. And because the area of expertise of Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Velshi, and Mehdi Hasan are related to the unfolding crisis, this blatant discrimination against MSNBC broadcasters affects the public’s ability to access fair and balanced reporting.
Bias in media coverage on Muslims and Muslim Americans is well-documented and researched—and that bias can perpetuate and exacerbate existing stereotypes and discrimination against Muslims in our country. Both Jews and Muslims are often the targets of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the U.S., making the need for fair and balanced media reporting even more dire.
Over an average of 800,000 people tune in to MSNBC’s prime news every day. It is unacceptable for a trusted news source to sideline, silence, or censor Muslim broadcasters. And because the areas of expertise of Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Velshi, and Mehdi Hasan are related to the unfolding crisis, any silencing has a direct affect on the public’s ability to access fair and balanced reporting.
Bias in media coverage on Muslims and Muslim Americans is well-documented and researched—and that bias can perpetuate and exacerbate existing stereotypes and discrimination against Muslims in our country. Both Jews and Muslims are often the targets of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the U.S., making the need for fair and balanced media reporting even more dire.
MSNBC values their reputation for having journalists who bring diverse backgrounds to news production and news coverage. Journalism and news media have an immense amount of public influence, and that’s why networks should take their responsibility seriously and be held to high standards of ethics. We’re calling on MSNBC to live into their values, affirm their commitment to fair and unbiased reporting, and commit to amplifying the voices of their Muslim hosts!