WHY WEREN’T WE INCLUDED? AL JAZEERA AND UNIVISION ASK OBAMA

President Obama agreed to be interviewed on Monday by anchors and correspondents of six TV networks about his policy on Syria but conspicuously passed over Spanish-language Univision and the Arab news network Al Jazeera. Univision anchor Jorge Ramos blasted the snub, tweeting “Pres. Obama gives 6 interviews today. None of those to Univision. Why? Hispanics also care about Syria. Same mistake as presidential debates.” Later: “150,000+ Latinos are serving in the U.S. military. But none of the 6 interviews given today by Obama include Univision.” Said Al-Jazeera: “President Obama must answer to Arabs as he does to the American people, regarding future wars in Syria or elsewhere in their region. And there’s only one major network that reaches the majority of Arabs and Muslims and others in the greater Middle East. If President Obama reckons it’s important to speak to six U.S. networks, then talking to Al Jazeera — Arabic and English channels — is paramount for any future action in Syria.”