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MSNBC suspends Muslim anchors amid Israeli war in Gaza

From left to right: Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi. (MSNBC)
From left to right: Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi. (MSNBC)
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Updated 14 October 2023
TAREK ALI AHMAD
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MSNBC suspends Muslim anchors amid Israeli war in Gaza

From left to right: Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi. (MSNBC)
  • Arab News sources confirm reports that US network sidelined Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi
Updated 14 October 2023
TAREK ALI AHMAD
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LONDON: Two sources have confirmed to Arab News that US news network MSNBC has suspended the shows of three Muslim anchors amid rising tensions in Gaza.

Earlier today, Semafor revealed that Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi were “quietly taken out of the anchor’s chair since Hamas’ attack on Israel.”

According to Semafor, the left-leaning news network did not air a scheduled Thursday night episode of “The Mehdi Hasan Show,” and dropped a plan for Mohieddine to anchor Joy Reid’s show on Thursday and Friday. Sources also revealed that Velshi was being replaced by another anchor for his upcoming weekend shows.

MSNBC, however, “vehemently pushed back against any notion that either Hasan or Mohieddine were being sidelined in any way,” Semafor added.

But two Arab News sources directly involved with the decision within MSNBC have confirmed the suspension.

“There is a lot of unclarity over what happens next,” said one source. “But the mood is very similar to what had happened post 9/11 with the whole you are either with us or against us argument,” he added.

“Sadly, this has now gone beyond political views and is targeting anchors of a particular faith,” he said.

Arab News approached MSNBC but the network did not respond for comment by the time this story was published.

While Velshi is still reporting from the ground on other shows, what Arab News sources confirm is that the shows have been suspended and the future of the three anchors at the network is unclear.

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Malaysia reports increase in requests to restrict social media content

Malaysia reports increase in requests to restrict social media content
Updated 09 April 2024
Reuters
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Malaysia reports increase in requests to restrict social media content

Malaysia reports increase in requests to restrict social media content
  • Move is part of efforts to curb spread of harmful content related to race, religion and royalty
  • In the first three months of 2024, the government referred 51,638 cases to social media platforms, compared to 42,904 cases recorded in the whole of last year
Updated 09 April 2024
Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia urged Facebook operator Meta, opens new tab and short video service TikTok to step up monitoring on their platforms, it said on Tuesday, with the government reporting sharp increases in harmful social media content this year.

In the first three months of 2024, the government referred 51,638 cases to social media platforms, including Meta and TikTok, for further action, up from 42,904 cases recorded in the whole of last year, the communications regulator and Malaysian police said in a joint statement.

The agencies did not specify what types of content were reported, but said the move was part of efforts to restrict the spread of harmful content online, particularly those related to race, religion and royalty.

TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, and Meta were also urged to curb content indicating coordinated inauthentic behaviour, or related to financial scams and illegal online gambling, the agencies said.

Race and religion are sensitive issues in Malaysia, which has a mainly Muslim ethnic Malay majority, alongside significant ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. It also has laws prohibiting seditious remarks or insults against its monarchy.

Malaysia has increased scrutiny of online content in recent months, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration facing accusations of backpedaling on its promises to protect free speech. The government has denied allegations of stifling diverse views, saying it needed to protect users from online harms.

Meta and TikTok restricted a record number of social media posts and accounts in Malaysia in the first six months of 2023, amid an increase in government requests to remove content, data published by the firms last year showed.

Topics: social media Malaysia Meta TikTok

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Positive news as Al Habtoor Group invests in new TV channel 

Positive news as Al Habtoor Group invests in new TV channel 
Updated 08 April 2024
Arab News
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Positive news as Al Habtoor Group invests in new TV channel 

Positive news as Al Habtoor Group invests in new TV channel 
  • Focus will be on promoting uplifting stories
  • Conglomerate says goal is to counter negativity in media landscapes
Updated 08 April 2024
Arab News

LONDON: Emirati multi-industry conglomerate Al Habtoor Group announced on Monday its entry into the broadcasting industry with the launch of a new television channel dedicated to “spreading positivity.”

The network aims to uplift, inspire, and entertain viewers with a program lineup focused on bringing positivity to the fore. It marks the group’s first foray into the broadcasting sector.

The new channel will serve as a “beacon of positivity,” according to the group, countering the prevailing negativity in media landscapes and promoting motivation, inspiration, and happiness.

“We are surrounded by negative news and dread, which is why we need to focus on positivity and highlight successes and good news around the world to motivate people to be happier and more productive,” said Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group.

Al Habtoor expressed hope that the new channel would reshape the media narrative by spotlighting uplifting content “designed to elevate the human spirit and celebrate the countless success stories unfolding around us every day.”

The company added: “By promoting content that uplifts, inspires, and entertains, Al Habtoor Group aims to create a ripple effect of positivity that encourages viewers to see the world through a lens of optimism and possibility.”

The channel is scheduled to launch by the end of the year and further details, including its name, programming lineup and launch date, are to be announced in the coming weeks.

Topics: UAE al habtoor group positivity

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‘Show must go on’ for Iranian journalist stabbed in London

‘Show must go on’ for Iranian journalist stabbed in London
Updated 06 April 2024
AFP
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‘Show must go on’ for Iranian journalist stabbed in London

‘Show must go on’ for Iranian journalist stabbed in London
  • Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International, needed hospital treatment for leg wounds
Updated 06 April 2024
AFP

LONDON: A journalist for an independent Iranian media outlet in London stabbed outside his home last week has returned to work, saying “the show must go on.”
Pouria Zeraati, a presenter for Iran International, needed hospital treatment for leg wounds suffered in the March 29 attack.
The 36-year-old said the stabbing was a “warning shot.”
“The fact that they just stopped in my leg was their choice,” he told ITV News.
“They had the opportunity to kill me because the way the second person was holding me and the first person took the knife out, they had the opportunity to stop anywhere they wanted,” he added.
Zeraati said he had returned to work on Friday, adding: “Whatever the motive was, the show must go on.”
London’s Metropolitan Police say the two suspects went straight from the scene in southwest London to Heathrow Airport and left the UK “within a few hours.”
Detectives were considering whether “the victim’s occupation as a journalist at a Persian-language media organization based in the UK” could have prompted the assault.
Iran’s charge d’affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, however, said Tehran denied “any link.”
The Met has previously disrupted what it has called plots in the UK to kidnap or even kill British or Britain-based individuals perceived as enemies of Tehran.
The Iranian government has declared Iran International a terrorist organization.
The UK government last year unveiled a tougher sanctions regime against Iran over alleged human rights violations and hostile actions against its opponents on UK soil.

Topics: Iran Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati

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Disney to start cracking down on password-sharing from June, CEO Iger says

Disney to start cracking down on password-sharing from June, CEO Iger says
Updated 08 April 2024
Reuters
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Disney to start cracking down on password-sharing from June, CEO Iger says

Disney to start cracking down on password-sharing from June, CEO Iger says
  • Move aims to boost subscriber growth and make the business profitable
Updated 08 April 2024
Reuters

LONDON: Walt Disney’s streaming service will start cracking down on password-sharing from June, CEO Bob Iger said on Thursday, as the entertainment conglomerate looks to boost subscriber growth and make the business profitable.
Iger also signaled a need for consolidation in the streaming industry and said Disney was “eventually” looking at double-digit margins for the business, in a wide-ranging interview with CNBC.
Streaming rival Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown had helped it add nearly 22 million subscribers in the second half of 2023 and shatter Wall Street expectations.
Iger’s interview came just a day after Disney investors backed him and other company directors in a proxy battle with activist investors, including Nelson Peltz, who argued that the Mouse House had underperformed in the streaming-television era.
“The proxy vote was a decisive, true endorsement of the board,” he said, noting the company was taking the topic of CEO succession — a key concern of shareholders — “very seriously.”
The win strengthened Iger’s hand at a crucial time. Disney is trying to reinvigorate its film and television franchises, make its streaming unit profitable and find partners for building sports network ESPN’s digital future.
Meanwhile, in an interview with CNBC just minutes after Iger’s, Peltz said he hoped that the Disney CEO can keep his promises.
“If they do it, they won’t hear from me again,” Peltz said.
Iger also addressed criticism by billionaire Elon Musk, who backed Peltz and had lashed out against advertisers including Disney with a profanity-laced tirade in November for fleeing social media platform X on concerns over antisemitic content.
“I ignore it,” Iger said of Musk’s criticism.
Disney shares were up about 0.7 percent higher in morning trade. They have risen about 30 percent so far this year, making them the top performer on the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Iger said on Thursday that talks were going on for the strategic partner for ESPN.

Topics: disney password

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BBC report finds Gaza evacuation warnings are ‘full of errors’

BBC report finds Gaza evacuation warnings are ‘full of errors’
Updated 05 April 2024
Arab News
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BBC report finds Gaza evacuation warnings are ‘full of errors’

BBC report finds Gaza evacuation warnings are ‘full of errors’
  • 17 out of 26 bombing alerts contained ‘contradictory information and misnamed districts,’ analysis revealed
  • IDF said that BBC focused ‘only on one element of its extensive efforts to protect civilians’
Updated 05 April 2024
Arab News

LONDON: A BBC report highlighted significant errors in the evacuation warnings issued by the Israel Defense Forces, causing confusion among residents in Gaza.

The analysis revealed that out of the 26 bombing alerts examined by the BBC, 17 contained “contradictory information and sometimes misnamed districts,” making them confusing for people in Gaza to decipher and respond to.

These errors included instances in which neighborhoods mentioned in the text of the warnings were not highlighted on the accompanying maps, and vice versa. Additionally, the evacuation zones marked on the maps often split blocks in two, potentially adding to the confusion.

Some warnings also inaccurately listed neighborhoods in one district when they were actually located in another, and there were discrepancies in block numbers between the text and maps.

The IDF refuted the accusations, claiming in a statement that the alerts analyzed by the BBC were only one element of its “extensive efforts to encourage the evacuation (of) civilians out of harm’s way.”

It emphasized that the system, which divides Gaza into numbered blocks, is designed to assist civilians in fleeing danger.

However, experts warned that such errors could violate Israel’s obligations under international law to “provide effective advance warning of attacks affecting the civilian population.”

(BBC/File)

The BBC based its report on extensive evidence, including interviews with residents and analysis of posts on IDF’s Arabic-language social media channels.

Additionally, the broadcaster noted the difficulty in compiling a list of phone calls due to the damage to Gaza’s phone network.

This challenge was exacerbated by the fact that during the period under investigation — since Dec. 1 — Israel enforced an electricity, phone, and internet blockade on the Gaza Strip, rendering it impossible for people to receive the warnings.

Despite these inconsistencies, Israel presented its block warning system at the International Court of Justice in January as part of its defense against allegations of genocide by South Africa.

Throughout the conflict, the BBC has faced allegations of biased reporting regarding Israel.

Some Israeli-affiliated newspapers have accused the BBC of distorting the narrative to tarnish the IDF’s reputation in its reports on warning civilians in Gaza.

This investigation coincides with scrutiny against Tel Aviv for its alleged use of the Lavender artificial intelligence tool to identify and strike terrorists in Gaza, resulting in hundreds of “collateral deaths” among civilians.

The IDF denied the existence of a kill list, describing the tool as merely assisting analysts in the target identification process.

They maintain that their practices focus on protecting civilians and have “saved countless lives in Gaza.”

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Topics: War on Gaza BBC Israel

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