NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: MSNBC, which has faced criticism for not using the term "terrorists" to describe Hamas attackers in its reporting, has reportedly experienced a 33% drop in its primetime viewership following the deadly attack on Israel.
This cable news channel, known for hosting anchors like Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, and Joy Reid, saw a 24% decrease in its total viewership during the four-day period from October 7 to 10, as compared to the same period in the previous week, per One America News.
Following this event, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity took to X (formerly Twitter) to share more on this news and report on other similar news channels' viewership jolts.
However, Hannity faced backlash from the internet as several trolled him for “lying”.
Sean Hannity reports on tanked MSNBC Primetime’s viewership
Fox News anchor Sean Hannity took to X and wrote, “MSNBC has drawn intense criticism over its coverage of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200, including 25 Americans..."
In his tweet, he also featured an article from Hannity’s official website titled, “TUNING OUT: MSNBC Primetime Viewership Down 33%, Network Refuses to Call Hamas Terrorists; Report.”
According to The New York Post, MSNBC's primetime viewership has dropped by 33% since the beginning of the conflict in Israel. The network has faced criticism for its reluctance to use the term terrorists when describing Hamas attackers in its coverage.
During the same period, Fox News experienced a significant 42% increase in total viewers, while CNN, which recently appointed Mark Thompson as the CEO, saw a 17% rise in viewership.
Fox News emerged as the clear winner in primetime, averaging 2.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Ratings. MSNBC secured the second spot with 960,000 viewers, and CNN had 760,000 viewers.
MSNBC's coverage of Hamas' attack on Israel has faced substantial criticism, particularly for its handling of the death toll.
Unlike other networks that display the number of Israelis killed and those killed in Gaza separately, MSNBC has displayed a joint death toll graphic, which has sparked controversy. This graphic approach has come under scrutiny, as the conflict's human toll includes both Israelis and Palestinians.
NewsNation host Dan Abrams specifically called out MSNBC anchors Ayman Mohyeldin, Mehdi Hasan, and Ali Velshi for attributing the Hamas assault to what they described as "failed policies" by Israel and the United States.
Internet trolls Sean Hannity for ‘lying’
After Sean Hannity reported on MSNBC’s tanked viewership, the internet quickly flooded the comment section of the Fox News anchor’s tweet as one person wrote, “Really? From whom, you, Sean?” with reference to the criticism MSNBC faced.
One more person slammed Hannity saying, “So you lie about your media competitors too. Got it,” and another added, “Wow! People have lost family, friends, loved ones - and your focus is on which network is WINNING?”
A fourth person simply called out Hannity, saying, “Classic Hannity gaslighting,” and another wrote, “Says the station that had to pay $757 million in a settlement for lying.”
One more accused him of lying, stating, “Fake news, Sean, from one of the most prolific pushers of fake news.”
