Headline Roundup • March 25th, 2024
Journalists Criticize NBC After Hiring of Ronna McDaniel
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Friday, NBC News announced that former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel would be joining NBC News (online news rated Lean Left) as a political analyst, and top personalities there are speaking out against the hiring.
Key Details: NBC News' Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd spoke out against McDaniel after the hiring was reportedly supported unanimously by NBC News leaders. At MSNBC (online news rated Left), producers and anchors have been reassured that they have editorial independence in choosing who they book.
Key Quote: “There’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this,” Todd said, “because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting.” On "Morning Joe," host Joe Scarborough said, “We hope NBC will reconsider its decision. It goes without saying that she will not be a guest on ‘Morning Joe’ in her capacity as a paid contributor.”
For Context: McDaniel left her RNC post on March 8, and former RNC general counsel Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, were selected as co-chairs.
How the Media Covered it: Axios (Lean Left bias) noted that networks are "trying to reflect the MAGA perspective without giving a platform to election deniers." The Federalist (Right bias) noted that MSNBC has also awarded Jen Psaki, President Joe Biden's former press secretary, a prime-time show.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The uproar inside NBC over Ronna McDaniel’s hiring spilled into Monday morning as more of the network’s top personalities denounced the deal with the former RNC chair, escalating a battle over the relationship between powerful media companies and Donald Trump’s loyalists.
The decision to hire McDaniel, which was unanimously supported by top network executives, has already divided and destabilized one of America’s most storied news organizations, with internal dismay flaring on text chains and Slack channels since the deal was announced late last week.
The dissent broke into the open...
NBC News./YouTube
Talking heads on NBC News suffered an on-air meltdown Sunday over the network’s recruitment of former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel to offer occasional commentary. This, after MSNBC awarded President Joe Biden’s former press secretary a prime-time show.
NBC announced last week that Ronna McDaniel would be joining the network’s lineup of political analysts following her resignation as chair of the RNC. Her first appearance came Sunday with an interview on “Meet the Press” hosted by Kristen Welker, who opened the 20-minute sit-down discussion with an over-the-top disclaimer about McDaniel’s new gig.
“In...
The hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” said Monday that former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel — NBC News’s new paid contributor — will not be asked to appear on their show as a guest, pointing to her role in helping former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in their Monday broadcast sharply criticized the network for hiring McDaniel and called on NBC News to reconsider the decision.
“To be clear, we believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to provide balance in...
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