Fascinating tidbit in Roll Call’s “Heard on the Hill” column.  The topic: Al-Jazeera covering the State of the Union address (we wrote about it previously here).  Here’s “Heard on the Hill”:

But a few Members did take a turn in front of Al-Jazeera’s lens. HOH spotted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doing an interview, and the producer says Reps. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) also appeared before the network’s cameras Monday night.

Sanders tells HOH he’s willing to talk to any news outlet, including Al-Jazeera and even - gasp - Fox News. “They might have their own point of view, but I am free to speak my mind,” he tells HOH. “I think it’s appropriate to talk to any news organization.”

Another reason Sanders might have been willing to appear on the network: It’s available via satellite all over the country but via cable in only a few areas - including on his home turf in Burlington, Vt., and in the cities of Sandusky and Toledo in Ohio.

Small presence indeed.  And with this tidbit in MediaGuardian …

Al-Jazeera’s troubled English language news channel is facing a “serious staffing crisis” after scores of journalists left or have not had contracts renewed amid claims of a revolt over working conditions.

… it’s worth pondering how much those members of Congress are helping prop up the struggling network.