Mehdi Hasan

Hasan posted and then deleted the comment 'Make American planes crash again' above a news item about an aircraft crash in Georgia, prompting criticism for poor taste. In August 2026, a viral image subsequently falsified the screenshot by adding a photograph of 9/11, making his message appear even more serious.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Hasan took part in Jubilee's 'Surrounded' programme against twenty participants described as right-wing or far-right. The presence of a participant who described himself as a fascist sparked debate about the normalisation of extremism and Jubilee's viral format.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

MSNBC cancelled Hasan's weekly programme during a schedule overhaul. The decision, made during the Gaza war while Hasan was conducting highly confrontational interviews about Israel and US policy, prompted allegations that he had been sidelined for political reasons. Hasan briefly remained an analyst before leaving the network and launching Zeteo.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During a CNN debate, Ryan Girdusky told Hasan that he hoped his 'beeper' would not explode, an allusion to the pager explosions targeting Hezbollah. CNN apologised and said Girdusky would no longer be invited. Hasan was the target of the remark.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist is the victim

Hasan strongly challenged Matt Taibbi's work on the Twitter Files, accusing him of errors and misleading presentations, while Lee Fang and others accused Hasan of factual errors in his own attack. The dispute became a controversy over journalistic standards and Twitter moderation.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Personally implicated

Lee Fang accused Hasan of closely reproducing several passages from an American article in a 2000 column supporting spanking. Textual comparisons circulated, and the allegation was widely debated online.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Videos of Hasan's earlier sermons showed insulting expressions concerning non-Muslims and atheists as well as conservative statements about homosexuality. When the clips resurfaced, Hasan explicitly apologised and stated that he deeply regretted the remarks.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

After Hasan sharply attacked the Daily Mail on Question Time, the newspaper published a 2010 job application letter in which he praised the paper and highlighted certain socially conservative positions. The incident prompted allegations of hypocrisy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Hasan, then positioned on the left, published a defence of a pro-life or anti-abortion stance that surprised some of his readers and provoked heated debate. He later explained that certain past positions of his on the subject were illiberal or offensive and that his views had evolved.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated