MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said Monday that it was “inexplicable” her network had hired former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, joining a chorus of program hosts and reporters who have condemned the decision.
NBC announced last week it had hired McDaniel after she stepped down from the helm of the national Republican Party in February. Outrage over her hiring filled the network’s own airtime as high-profile journalists, including Chuck Todd, pointed to her active role in supporting former President Donald Trump’s election fraud conspiracy theories.
Maddow agreed, likening the hiring to installing a “mobster to work at the DA’s office.”
Maddow went on to stress that although MSNBC’s leadership had initially voiced no objections to McDaniel’s hiring, they had since changed tack after hearing their staff voice concerns. She added that NBC could also change its hiring decision and “acknowledge that maybe it wasn’t the right call.”
“Our leadership heard us, understood and adjusted course,” the host said. “We were told in clear terms Ronna McDaniel will not be on our air. … Ronna McDanial will not appear on MSNBC. It has never been anything other than clear.”
Does that mean just NBC? Not a lot of space for her if the 24/7 channel is off limits.
I'm sure this is upsetting at NBC, but I appreciate the opportunity to thoroughly trash Ronna McDaniel when she otherwise might have had a relatively quiet exit from the RNC.
A clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower.
-- Charlie Sykes on MSNBC
1312. ETTD.
... In the end, the company took the only decision it could have on Tuesday when it reversed its decision. In a statement to company employees, Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, said, “I have decided that Ronna McDaniel will not be an NBC News contributor.”
His remarks continued: “No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal.”...
... It should be noted that NBC News isn’t the only platform that decided that it was acceptable to bring those who served Trump onto their news teams. CNN hired former Trump campaign chair Corey Lewandowski as a paid analyst in 2016 and CBS hired Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former acting chief of staff, as a paid analyst in 2022. Both were met with pushback from within and without the organizations from opponents who disapproved of the style and policies of the Trump administration.
ETTD
... Call it a victory for the journalists at the cable channel, and for the viewers who heard the journalists’ passionate explanations of the danger someone like McDaniel poses to democracy. Call it a victory, too, for the power of righteous indignation and decency and for journalism that strives for truth and integrity.
A clown with a flamethrower still has a flamethrower.
-- Charlie Sykes on MSNBC
1312. ETTD.
I didn't spend a lot of time on their website, but I liked what I saw.
Does that mean just NBC? Not a lot of space for her if the 24/7 channel is off limits.
GoChuckGo
