I loved his guest hosting on other shows prior to The Beat, and to me, he's brought a semblance of what news used to be. Pertinent and important news delivered by a trusted individual. Whether or not you are a fan of MSNBC, I have watched this show long enough to know that Ari presents stories he believes are important matters to all citizens to be openly discussed by all sides. Not simply topics that made the headlines that day.
Ari is clearly and honestly stated, and inviting of other viewpoints and interpretations. (Unfortunate that those other interpretations aren't necessarily spoken freely and honestly, but simply to push a partisan party line - however, it is still my hope we will go beyond that someday).But Ari's legal expertise helps to clarify the complexities of today's stories that often require more explanation than simple headline reporting.
And it doesn't hurt that he can share in the sense of irony in so much of what he has to report about - since there's no shortage of that these days either (and today's news reporting - without that and the ability to laugh once in awhile about the absurdity of it all - just sucks the soul out of you and makes you want to jump off a bridge). Ari Melber has very successfully found that balance, thank goodness.
