NY Times Reportedly Steering Writers Away From Maddow and Other Cable Shows
it Deems Too Partisan
The New York Times is warning off editors and reporters from appearing on
primetime MSNBC and CNN shows hosted by anchors like Rachel Maddow and Don
Lemon for fear of appearing partisan, according to a new report.
Sources tell Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo that managers at the newspaper have
been steering journalists away from appearing on certain cable news programs
with a renewed vigor.
Alongside Maddow and Lemon, Lawrence ODonnells show on MSNBC is also
apparently a no-go, as are Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlsons programs
though Times reporters were typically never seen on those shows anyway.
Reached for comment by Vanity Fair, a Times spokeswoman pointed to the
section of the newspapers Ethical Journalism handbook that covers
broadcast media appearances:
In deciding whether to make a radio, television or Internet appearance, a
staff member should consider its probable tone and content to make sure they
are consistent with Times standards. Staff members should avoid strident,
theatrical forums that emphasize punditry and reckless opinion-mongering.
On Sunday, May 19, New York Times finance editor David Enrich got a request
from a producer at MSNBC to appear on Rachel Maddows show the following
night. Enrich had a red-hot front-page story for Mondays paper, about
anti-money-laundering specialists at Deutsche Bank flagging suspicious
transactions involving Donald Trump and Jared Kushner, and Maddow wanted to
bring him on air to talk about it.
Maddow is MSNBCs ratings queen, jostling with Sean Hannity every night for
the crown of most-watched time slot in cable news. Thats why reporters tend
to relish the exposure they get from doing her show. Enrich said yes, but
after mentioning the planned appearance to the Timess communications
department, he was told he would have to retroactively decline. The reason?
The Times was wary of how viewers might perceive a down-the-middle
journalist like Enrich talking politics with a mega-ideological host like
Maddow. The producer, who was informed that the Times asks members of the
newsroom not to appear on opinionated shows to discuss political subjects,
was miffed about the cancellation, sources said. Enrich declined to comment.
An MSNBC spokesman said, For over a decade, The Rachel Maddow Show has
welcomed the best journalists from across the country and celebrated the
hard work they do, day-in and day-out. This includes countless New York
Times reporters and editors. That commitment to journalism is part of the
DNA of the show.
Its not just Maddow. The Times has come to prefer, as sources put it,
that its reporters steer clear of any cable-news shows that the masthead
perceives as too partisan, and managers have lately been advising people not
to go on what they see as highly opinionated programs. It's not clear how
many shows fall under that umbrella in the eyes of Times brass, but two
others that definitely do are Lawrence ODonnells and Don Lemons,
according to people familiar with managements thinking. Hannitys or Tucker
Carlsons shows would likewise make the cut, but it's not like Times
reporters ever do those anyway. Im told that over the past couple of
months, executive editor Dean Baquet has felt that opinionated cable-news
show are getting, well, even more opinionated. Baquet and other managers
have become increasingly concerned that if a Times reporter were to go on
one of these shows, his or her appearance could be perceived as being
aligned with that shows political leanings. He thinks its a real issue,
one of my Times sources said. Their view, said another, is that,
intentionally or not, it affiliates the Times reporter with a bias.
A highly placed source at one of the cable networks said he found the
Timess guidelines to be inconsistent, incoherent, and poorly conceived.
He also pointed out, At the moment that Donald Trump became president, and
print media was coincidentally in crisis mode from a business perspective, a
significant contributor to the success of publications like the New York
Times and the Washington Post was the exposure that their great work got on
networks like MSNBC and CNN. They are the beneficiaries of some very
positive exposure for their journalists.
The NY Times had no problem with Rudy Giuliani feeding smears against the
Bidens to their reporters to get easily debunked RW conspiracy theories
moved over to the Times, lending that nonsense credibility.
But they think being associated with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell
and Don Lemon will discredit them?
EM -> { Trump for 2020 }
On the 49th Parallel
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja na Dk. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda ni
katika machafuko"
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