MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes came under a sustained and vicious attack from furious liberals on social media angry that the network aired a hard news report on allegations from former Senate staffer Tara Reade that former Vice President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in the Capitol building in 1993.
The hashtag #FireChrisHayes was trending on Twitter on Thursday morning, as liberals across the nation vented their anger at MSNBC and Hayes for reporting on news they didn’t like.“The fact that ‘firing’ Chris Hayes is trending because he said the media needed to cover allegations of sexual misconduct made by a women even when they’re directed at powerful people who are respected is…just….peak 2020,” tweeted Lindsey Boylan, a progressive candidate for Congress in New York’s 10th District.
Chris Hayes covering Tara Reade’s allegations against Biden pic.twitter.com/zs5BJEZGVb— Ibrahim (@ibrahimpols) April 30, 2020
CommonDreams report: In his report on the allegation, Hayes went through the facts and soberly presented the case both for and against the allegation.
The measured analysis provoked ire from Democrat-aligned critics like conspiracy theorist Bill Palmer, who demanded MSNBC remove the longtime “All In” host for reporting the news
Hey Chris Hayes, you ran such a dishonest story about Joe Biden tonight, #FireChrisHayes is starting to trend. Let's say we make it trend all the way. Hayes needs to retract the story or go do something else for a living.https://t.co/OKaTP4evax— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) April 30, 2020
The network at press time did not have the segment available for viewing on either its main site or on its YouTube channel.
As Common Dreams reported, the Reade scandal has prompted calls from Democrats for Biden to address the allegation. But the candidate himself has thus far remained silent, though his campaign has repeatedly denied the charges.
Progressives on Twitter Thursday pushed back against the attacks on Hayes.
Furious at Chris Hayes for reporting news I don’t like. All news must be positive when it comes to the Democratic Party, and no I don’t know what “propaganda” means.— pokey pup (@Whatapityonyou) April 30, 2020
Chris Hayes is a Russian shill now? Tara Reade is lying because her exact accusation was used in her father’s book? Oh boy I have bad news for them on how many real life sexual assaults in Hollywood ended up in scripts after they happened and were talked about behind closed doors
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) April 30, 2020
I hate that I'll lose friends for saying this, but @chrislhayes reported news in a sober, responsible fashion. To call for his head is to demonstrate the very attitude toward journalism exemplified by Trump. His poison has infected everything. Let's resist it.— Jeff Sharlet (@JeffSharlet) April 30, 2020
Journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out out that Hayes’ own network was at least in part to blame for the partisan fire directed at the host.
“Chris Hayes has been one of the media’s most virulent, relentless and arguably effective Trump critics—an all-consuming loathing for the president—but #FireChrisHayes was trending because he covered the sex assault allegations against Biden,” tweeted Greenwald. “Shows what MSNBC has cultivated.”
“Also, with this completely deranged backlash against Chris Hayes for the crime of covering what a news story—one that just happens to be unfavorable to Dems—you see the extreme career incentives for cable hosts never to tell their audiences anything they don’t want to hear,” Greenwald added.
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