By any objective analysis, MSNBC is the most biased and least ethical of the three major cable news networks. They do not practice journalism.
That is not a matter of opinion. Any objective analysis of their coverage would show that every one of their hosts and virtually every contributor, analyst, reporter or panelist share and espouse a common political and philosophic viewpoint. Essentially the network is the propaganda voice for the radical left of the Democratic Party.
The constant leftwing spin not only censors statements and opinions that do not comport to the network’s philosophic viewpoint, but it provides disinformation and lies by both guests and hosts. MSNBC operates outside and in defiance of all standards of balanced and ethical journalism.
As a subscriber-based cable enterprise, MSNBC is not required to operate under journalistic standards or the rules of fairness and balance imposed on public broadcasters by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If MSNBC were covered by FCC rules, they would most surely be in danger of losing its license to operate.
Yes, there is notable bias in all the so-called cable news outlets, but none so complete, so consistent and so mendacious as MSNBC.
Even so, I was not prepared to see one of MSNBC’s most outrageous personalities, Rachel Maddow, actually admitted to the station’s political bias under the pretense of operational integrity. It had to do with the results of the Iowa Republican caucuses.
By all measures, President Trump had a huge victory. He won the caucuses with a 50 percent result – the highest ever in the history of the caucuses. That is news. He won an unprecedented 98 of the state’s 99 counties. That is news. Losing only one county to his own former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley by a single vote. That is news.
Unlike all other news services, MSNBC gave the Iowa results the most minimal coverage – barely mentioning Trump. When it came to Trump’s acceptance speech — covered in its entirety by FOX News and just short of entirety by CNN – MSNBC not only ignored it but used the time to repeat old news negative analysis of Trump.
Beyond ignoring Trump, MSNBC openly admitted to their unprofessional and unethical policy. THAT is news. Following the projection of Trump’s unprecedented win by the major news services, this was the announcement from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
“At this point in the evening, the projected winner of the Iowa caucuses has just started to give his victory speech. We will keep an eye on that as it happens. We will let you know if there is any news made in that speech. If there is anything noteworthy … something substantive … something important. And the reason I am saying that is … Of course, there is a reason that we and other news organizations have generally stopped giving him unfiltered live platforms to remarks by former President Trump. It is not out of spite. It is not a decision that we relish. It is a decision that we regularly revisit. And honestly, it is not NBC’s decision, but there is a cost to what these news organizations … knowingly broadcasting untrue (inaudible). That is a fundamental truth of our business and who we are. And so, his remarks tonight will not air here live. We will monitor them and let you know about any news that he makes.”
I was particularly struck by Maddow’s assurance that, “We will let you know if there is any news made in that speech. If there is anything noteworthy … something substantive … something important.” That has a chilling authoritarian sound – something that might be said by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or Kim Jong un.
It reminded me of a conversation I had with the Soviet ambassador before the breakup of the Soviet Union. It was during the 1980 presidential election, with the usual heated political banter. The ambassador scoffed at our system. He said the Soviet system spares the people from such emotional turmoil. That is a philosophy the folks at MSNBC can understand. They are doing the critical thinking for us.
This goes along with MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, who once famously – or infamously – proclaimed that is the media’s responsibility – speaking of MSNBC, of course – to tell folks what to think. That is propaganda by definition. But to paraphrase MSNBC’s marketing line, “That is who they are.”
The folks who make MSNBC their information of choice are woefully ignorant of the bigger picture. They are indoctrinated with one dubious political view. They do not hear from people with other valid perspectives and critical information. In terms of cable outlets, FOX and CNN have their political lean, but they both provide for the airing of alternative viewpoints and alternative information. Sadly, those folks locked on MSNBC for their political information do not even know what they do not know.
So, there ‘tis.