MSNBC entertainment editor Courtney Hazlett spent all of two minutes on "Morning Meeting" with Dylan Ratigan and still managed to get her facts wrong.
Noting former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's scheduled November 16 appearance on "Oprah," Hazlett told viewers that the former Alaska governor "famously said no to appearing on Oprah" during the 2008 presidential campaign, because Palin knew "you get more publicity rejecting Oprah than possibly going on."
The only trouble is, as my colleague Noel Sheppard noted earlier today, that is patently false. It was, in fact, Obama-endorsing Oprah Winfrey who refused to book Palin on her program during the campaign season, although she expressed an interest in having her on after the election.
What's more, while Hazlett seems to portray Oprah as doing Palin a favor, Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes today noted that the scheduling move may serve Oprah's best interest by reaching out to disaffected conservative women who used to be fans of her program:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓Oprah Winfrey, on a campaign to climb back from last season's ratings slump, will attempt to kiss and make up with conservative viewers on Nov. 16 when she has Sarah Palin on her syndicated talk show .
You may have noticed that the appearance by the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate is happening smack dab in the middle of the November ratings derby.
It's also the day before Palin's new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," is scheduled to hit bookstores.
Oprah's production company, Harpo, claims it will be Palin's first interview about the book. We'll see about that.
More important, Harpo also claims it will be the first time Oprah and Palin will have met, and Harpo should know.
It's not just another show booking for Oprah. She's going whole hog this season to try to recover from the ratings tumble she took last season when her audience slid to under 7 million viewers. And, during one awful week in July, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" suffered its smallest ratings since its debut way back in 1985.
Industry navel gazers speculated Oprah had turned off some of her conservative viewers -- or, more accurately, they had turned her off -- when she not only endorsed then presidential candidate Barack Obama but even campaigned for him. (Palin, of course, was the running mate of Obama's rival, Sen. John McCain.)
It was the first time Oprah had stripped off her apolitical veneer and publicly endorsed a political candidate. At the time, Oprah told CNN's Larry King she did it because "what [Obama] stands for" was "worth me going out on a limb for."
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Needs more money for Obama's taxes
October 21, 2009 - 10:47 ET by legacyrepublicanClearly, Oprah needs to increase her ratings to pay the higher taxes that Obama will cost her.
Next, bet she does Rush, Beck, O'Reilly, etc.
I think we are witnessing a
October 21, 2009 - 12:25 ET by notonmywatchI think we are witnessing a big shift here, from half-truths, lies by omission, and presentational propaganda, to outright lies
NONE of this stuff happens by accident.
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Agreed
October 21, 2009 - 13:42 ET by Thinking.ManThe Pocket Poodle Media has choosen to ride out the storm in the hopes that Obamas FCC and DOJ can shut them down, sounds crazy but I am pretty sure that's the deal, they are just outright making stuff up.
If they loose the gamble then say "Bye Bye" to NBC,ABC,CBS,CNN,MSNBC news coverage by 2010, maybe sooner if Fox finds a Nixon'ish story that would undo B-Daddy's adminstration.
Of course short of killing Beck with a wire while screaming "I am the messiah" in times square on live national TV I am not sure even his "moderate" followers would care.
Oh who am I fooling of course they wouldnt care, they would just claim Beck shoved his neck into the wire and was throwing his voice to make poor B-Daddy look bad, even willing to kill himself to take down the B-Daddy, that poor crazy Beck.
It never ceases to not
October 21, 2009 - 10:52 ET by mattmIt never ceases to not amaze me that MSNBC gets everything wrong.
The most common post about lib/dem/socialist/marxists
October 21, 2009 - 11:00 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADOYOU LIE !!
They know exactly what they are doing
October 21, 2009 - 11:02 ET by ohiochiliby spreading lies all over the place. The sheeple will hear and believe. Ever blow on a dandelion that has gone to seed? Just try catching all of them after you blow.
speaking of dandelions !
October 21, 2009 - 11:07 ET by LEWIS IN COLORADOhttp://www.americant...
Unfortunately for MSNBC,
October 21, 2009 - 11:12 ET by Sonia HUnfortunately for MSNBC, some of us actually remember what happened.
Sonia in Las Vegas
MSNBC knows full well what
October 21, 2009 - 11:26 ET by bse5150MSNBC knows full well what happened; the Leftwing attack machine is gearing up for the Palin attack. The first thing they're obviously doing is trying out the same tactic they just pulled on Limbaugh. Where they all say Limbaugh made a racist statement, which he did not. Now, it's 'Palin was invited on Oprah but never went'.
The Left is terrified of Palin and I can bet that all of them except those Lefties at the highest positions are really confused and upset as to why Oprah is doing this. Those Libs at the 'highest positions' (top of the MSM, White House, Entertainment Community) are already in touch with Oprah's staff working overtime to find a way to make Palin look bad.
FoxNews and Palin!
Good move by both of them
October 21, 2009 - 11:32 ET by TomoramaI have no beef with Oprah as being a non-america-hating Conservative leaner, I have great respect for anyone that makes their fortune in an honest way, that "silly" capitalistic thing that this once great country was built on.
I have maybe watched her show for a total of 60 minutes since she has been on as I WORK for a living (unlike Obambi supporters) and the show's guests usually suck.
My hope is that Palin get's fair shake and if Oprah tries some of that chi-town bullshit, Palin cuts her up like a moose.
This is a win-win for both of them, but if Oprah tries to attack her, she will lose some serious audience.
MessNBC is spreading lies again (see Limbaugh, Rush), wow, I am shocked and chagrined.
Secretly Bathtub boy and Tingle legs both have the hots for Palin and they like watching their shows replays of them hammering her and "taking matters into their own hands".................
A great man once said, YOU only get out of life what YOU put into it, he obviously wasn't a liberal.
Phew! I sure am glad MSNBC
October 21, 2009 - 11:47 ET by Cthulhu2012Phew! I sure am glad MSNBC learned their lesson about spreading wrong information from the Rush Limbaugh debacle! I was starting to get worried there for a second!
Why choose the lesser of two evils?
X
October 21, 2009 - 12:01 ET by serfer62"...Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes today noted that the scheduling move may serve Oprah's best interest by reaching out to disaffected conservative women who used to be fans of her program:"
This can't be or else I would have heard about it from Big Media. Right?
Not surprising
October 21, 2009 - 12:31 ET by chiefpaynecoming from a worthless excuse for a reporter on a worthless excuse for a news agency.
Boycott Oprah
October 21, 2009 - 13:09 ET by Cheryl DI stopped watching Oprah's show and those like it years ago. I was sick of being the object of her marketing machine. Read Palin's book and form you own opinion rather than be filtered through Oprah. Even NBC's today show is one giant plug for the inane shows that the network develops such as Dateline, A Women's Nation...please. Even Mereidth Vierra, with a golden chance to solitify herself as a serious interviewer, listened to the producer in her ear when Ballon Boy was hurling on national TV. She should have gone rogue and asked about the hoax.
Just turn away and save your money.
"All human beings, irrespective of their birth, are intitled to enjoy the aspirations of being fully complete and free." Thomas Jefferson, the best gift of America
SP must know that Opra will
October 21, 2009 - 14:00 ET by snaggletoothieSP must know that Opra will play her and betray her. I trust she is well prepared.
This Is Getting Very Tiresome (A Fantasy)
October 22, 2009 - 03:02 ET by BondPlainBondAs soon as Palin sits on the set of Oprah, I hope her first words are:
Hold 'em accountable.
[Edited to add]: Disappointed Palin chose to do the show.
Back
October 22, 2009 - 08:51 ET by jessieHBack obama, no viewers. Still sounds like a set-up, to me. She went with obama to denmark, and I don't think it was for the olympics.