Like many U.S. journalists trying to get to Israel to cover reaction to attacks in the country by terrorists, Chris Cuomo faced a difficult journey. But that’s his problem, he says, not one for his viewers.
“It doesn’t matter to the audience” where he had to land and how many flights he had to take, Cuomo notes after making an appearance Tuesday on Nexstar Media’s NewsNation, where he anchors a weekday primetime show. “This is the job: the ability to be a witness to history and the ability to first-hand assess these situations is very important and allows the NewsNation audience to understand what is happening.”
The trip to Israel is Cuomo’s second journey abroad for NewsNation; he previously flew to Ukraine to give viewers a direct account of Russia’s invasion of that country. He also tries to travel when he can to U.S. places of interest, such as East Palestine, Ohio, where the derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals has created upheaval. He recently completed a year on the air at the upstart cable-news outlet, which seeks to give viewers less of the opinionated sizzle they get from partisan outlets and more steak — in the form of facts and direct conversations with newsmakers.
His time in Israel, he says, is “up to the bosses. The general rule is we stay as long as it sustains interest, and probably a little beyond that.” But he vows that “I will stay on the story beyond that, because we are trying to build a different culture at NewsNation of doing what we think is right in terms of the audience’s interest, even if it’s not the tasty little bit of social-media driven news.”
The attack on Israel is different than others from the past, he says. The hostage-taking brings a new element into the mix. “What makes this different is the hostages. What makes this different for Americans is the hostages,” he says. “Americans are involved and that creates a very complex dynamic.” He also notes that the country, normally sporting busy cities and roads, is extremely quiet, with citizens being told to find safety and shelter.
Cuomo says he hopes to continue his travels when news demands. His primetime show, “Cuomo,” “is going to be very, very responsive to being where things are happening,” he says. “We aren’t going to be telling you what other people are telling us. We want to go to get it for you first hand.”
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