Journalism Deserves Better Than Mehdi Hasan

“Without a doubt, journalism of this nature is as irresponsible as it is biased.”

Given the recent leftward shift of televised media over the past few years, it seems difficult to interpret NBCUniversal’s hiring of British journalist Mehdi Hasan this past October as anything other than a confirmation that American news outlets have been taking notes from their European counterparts. Those who are aware of his journalistic career may recall that Hasan rose to fame as the former senior editor of the left-leaning New Statesman magazine, as well as for being the host of the show UpFront on Al Jazeera. Hasan, a progressive socialist, has spent much of his recent career interviewing controversial foreign policy figures and devout supporters of former President Donald Trump. However, in 2020, he was finally offered the limelight in the United States when hired to host his very own show on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, The Mehdi Hasan Show.

With his fast-talking, hard-hitting barrage of difficult-to-answer questions that often leave conservative fanboys in a state of shock, Hasan has solidified himself as a sort of “Ben Shapiro” figure for the Left—a pundit whom progressive news outlets call upon when they need someone to do their dirty work. Unfortunately, while the political left has praised Hasan for being an unbiased defender of the truth, his track record as a semi-factual journalist, who mischaracterizes his opponents and refuses to condemn left-wing radicals, says otherwise. Many of these journalistic shortcomings are simply too grave to ignore; as such, it seems only reasonable to contextualize properly these claims and ask ourselves an important question: Is Hasan’s journalism really what the American public needs?

A Journalistic Rap Sheet for 2020

When it comes to falsehoods and misleading claims about current events in the United States, one need not look further than the work Hasan has put out in just this past year.