Skip to main content

To: Andy Lack, Chairman of NBC News and MSNBC

Bring Foreign Policy Coverage to MSNBC

Petition Text

We, the undersigned, call on you, Andy Lack, President of NBC News and MSNBC, to publicly commit to making foreign policy news a daily staple of MSNBC, and to include foreign policy commentators who challenge the current direction of U.S. foreign policy, particularly with respect to war.

Why is this important?

With the U.S. engaged in endless wars that are draining so much of our nation’s resources, the American public deserves constant reporting and robust debate on a wide range of foreign policy issues. Unfortunately, MSNBC is not providing that.

We are finding that, with the obsessive concentration of MSNBC on Donald Trump and his relationship with Russia, coverage of other critical foreign policy issues has disappeared from MSNBC.

A group of us representing peace organizations would like to have a meeting with you or senior members of your network to talk about this.

A recent Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) article describes MSNBC’s systematic avoidance of reportage on the gargantuan human tragedy of the war in Yemen, a war that could not be waged without U.S. support. The report also criticizes MSNBC’’s devotion to commentary by “ex-spook and military contractor-funded talking heads.”

MSNBC’s suppression of reporting on foreign policy and war is not limited to Yemen but includes the Middle East in general.

An example of the suppression of Middle East reporting is the failure of Chris Hayes, or any member of his staff, to respond to registered mail, email, Twitter and phone requests, or an online petition, urging that Medea Benjamin be included among commentators on his show “All In with Chris Hayes.” Ms. Benjamin, co-founder of the citizen action group CODEPINK, has travelled extensively in the Middle East, and is the author of Inside Iran: The Real History of Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection and Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control. Mr. Hayes runs a podcast that he advertises as covering important issues in depth that he does not have time for on his cable show, but he has hardly covered foreign policy issues on his podcast since he launched it in May, 2018.

Mr. Lack, you have overseen an advertising campaign for MSNBC that has attempted to attract an audience concerned with human rights and civil liberties. Your suppression of thorough and accurate foreign affairs and war reporting is a profound disservice to this audience, which is prone to acting on conscience. U.S. military actions are killing and terrorizing vast numbers of people in the 76 nations in which, according to the Costs of War Project, the U.S. is now conducting some form of military operations.

The American public must know about these operations and MSNBC has a responsibility to educate the public.

Thank you for your consideration. We can be reached at [email protected]

New York, NY, USA

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Categories

Updates

2019-03-25 15:43:49 -0400

5,000 signatures reached

2018-08-03 12:19:17 -0400

1,000 signatures reached

2018-08-03 09:36:37 -0400

500 signatures reached

2018-08-01 14:46:43 -0400

100 signatures reached

2018-07-31 17:32:26 -0400

50 signatures reached

2018-07-31 15:16:31 -0400

25 signatures reached

2018-07-31 14:35:25 -0400

10 signatures reached