MSNBC Boss Defends Sharpton Protesting in Trayvon Martin Case While Also Covering It
After years of denying he was trying to pursue a hard-left audience, MSNBC president Phil Griffin is now shamelessly trying to justify his actions in continuing to employ infamous race-baiter and tax cheat Al Sharpton, host of the cable network's Politics Daily program. The latest controversy for Sharpton involves his dual involvement in covering the case of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin on television while at the same time, away from the anchor desk, acting as a belligerent advocate of arresting Martin's killer, George Zimmerman.
Sharpton's conflict of interest, which he barely bothers to disclose to viewers, doesn't bother Griffin; he proudly told AP television reporter David Bauder that he "didn't hire Al to become a neutered kind of news presenter."
"That's not what we do," Griffin added.
That is the current line he's peddling but it isn't what Griffin said before. In 2008, he insisted that his network was "not tied to ideology" but instead employed "smart" anchors, only one of which, Joe Scarborough, had any claim to being something other than a card-carrying Democrat.
All of that is water under the bridge now for MSNBC which has gone all-in to try to attract a hard-left audience:
Sharpton's dual role would have been unthinkable on television 20 years ago and still wouldn't be allowed at many news organizations. While opinionated cable news hosts have become commonplace over the past decade, Sharpton goes beyond talking. [...]
He joined MSNBC's roster of hosts last summer after extensive discussions about how his activist role would continue while on the air. [...]
"We didn't hire Al to become a neutered kind of news presenter," Griffin said. "That's not what we do."
Griffin, talking before Monday's show, said he hadn't seen any conflict with Sharpton's role on and off the air in the Martin case. He said Sharpton had fulfilled his requirement to honest and upfront about his activities, and credited "Politics Daily" with helping to make it a national story.
While the case of Sharpton anchoring coverage of events in which he himself is driving is certainly something that no other television news operation would permit--Fox News head Roger Ailes would be crucified were he to do so--Al Sharpton isn't exactly the only person shilling for his causes on MSNBC. As reported exclusively by NewsBusters, Sharpton's colleague Ed Schultz has received cash payments of over $330,000 from labor unions, something which he has never disclosed to his viewers. Schultz insists he's donated the money to non-political charities but has not presented records proving that this is the case.
In 2010, Griffin suspended now-former host Keith Olbermann for donating money to several congressional Democrats and never disclosing it to viewers. Schultz has faced no discipline for failing to disclose payments he received from labor unions.
While it is good that Sharpton's activist-anchor role is beginning to receive some media scrutiny, it is unfortunate that Schultz being on the take for a political interest group has not received the coverage it deserves.
Sharpton is one of several MSNBC hosts whom NewsBusters publisher and Media Research Center president Brent Bozell called on the network to fire in a letter he sent to Griffin earlier this month.
- Matthew Sheffield's blog
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Comments
The honchos at Comcast and General Electric
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 2:42am.
(as well as Obama and the Democrat Party) have given their okay to this outlandish format. So why is anyone surprised? Wikipedia:
If MSNBC is the place to go for Progressives, and we know that Progressives lie, distort, obfuscate and have perfected and constantly use Saul Alinsky's radical techniques, then the Network's behavior is completely normal (by Progressive standards).
Spot on, Rush
Submitted by Galvanic on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 8:44am.
There's truth in advertising at MSNBC. They are a "progressive" mouthpiece. Though they won't admit it, they are also the commercial voice of the Obama Administration.
Remember the promotional ads for Rachel Maddow's show last year. She defined herself as an activist "making sense of the world" for her audience. And considering her audience, I'm sure that's just what she does.
The real issue is the cross-pollination within the NBC enterprise. NBC personnel appear on MSNBC, and vice versa, contaminating NBC and further undermining any pretense of journailistic objectivity.
Galvanic....Thanks. Your profile indicates that you are
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:52am.
Politically Independent; have not voted for a Democrat or Republican since 1972.
With Obama taking this country down a hell hole of Socialism and irretrievable debt, I certainly hope your profile will change in November, and you help vote this incompetent Socialist/Marxist out of office by voting Republican.
That story has been scrubbed
Submitted by gopcongress on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 1:01pm.
I decided to go behind the links to try to get the original source of the Griffin comment. I found numerous blogs and aggregate services all linking to an AP story but that AP story had been scrubbed. Usually I can find a cached page, but that's not the case for this story. Apparently the libs do NOT want this story to surface anywhere.
"The news and truth are not the same thing." -Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
Is this what Steve Capus meant when he said NBC News is...
Submitted by Phryj1 on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 2:47am.
...'even-handed and ethical'?
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
ethical?
Submitted by oldfart on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 6:41am.
The case may be made the Lenin, Stalin, Pol-Pot, Genghis Kahn and Hitler were ethical by their standards.
Good morning Matthew
Submitted by cocodrie on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 3:46am.
Thanks.
P..S. bagtree = spam, spam, spam, spam.
God bless,
Alton
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
Griffin and Sharpton, two
Submitted by Semus on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 4:41am.
What did you hire him for, to be a left wing race baiter? Griffin and Sharpton, two peas in a pod, disgusting human beings.
MSNBC: The Cesspool for News
Submitted by motherbelt on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 6:23am.
Phil Griffin is admitting that he hired Sharpton to do exactly what he is doing.
MSNBC
Submitted by oldfart on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 6:33am.
Considering that MSNBC's is part of NBC Universal which is in turn owned by Comcast I guess that means that some of the dollars paid to Comcast for TV and internet is supporting racism.
What a con job.
Are We Really Surprised??!!
Submitted by cobokat on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 6:40am.
As I sit here and watch the enemy...Morning Joe...it's easy to see that they all have a MAJOR FEAR of this administration. They have bashed Mitt Romney for the first 15 minutes and continue to talk about his gaffes... NOT ONCE have they brought up the current president and his gaffe in South Korea...They've brought up the latest CNN poll and the number that say Obama is ahead of the pack buy 10-15 points...They try to lead us all to believe that BO has this election all wrapped up. Whoever our nominee is we must get out there and vote this current administration OUT!
MSNBC-
Submitted by almostacowboy on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 7:16am.
If you can't report the news, make the news, then report your version of the news.
Mr. Giffin
Submitted by John21 on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 7:39am.
Mr. Griffin in his dotage decided his network (not famous for honesty) needed to have a racist commentator to appeal to the far left's need to be racist.
He also wanted to cover the comedy scene so he found the least articulate race baiter he could with the least real world experience and gave him a show. The idea that a race baiter providing his networks coverage of a media hyped incident is unimportant.
We all thought that when ComCast assumed control that they would put the senile Mr. Griffin out to pasture to watch the grass grow was obvious incorrect and should causes many investors to doubt the mental capability of ComCast senior leadership.
I have already divested when they failed to provide any reasoning as to the acquisition of this loser network (being the cash cow for a failing network is not why I had invested).
MSNBC
Submitted by NewLife56 on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 7:44am.
And like sheep, all sides just follow the side they believe to be true. I have my own mind, I think my own thoughts, I believe nothing unless I see it with my own eyes, and even then I question it and seek the truth___________SP
MSNBC is the most disgusting, disgrace, Vial, Vomit inducing network in the history of Broadcasting, they lie, they make up, they incite, they hire News rejects that couldn’t even work for a local TV station. MSNBC is the same as the propaganda channels in China, Russia, and in the Middle East.
They make me want to puke.
Naw, we didn't hire Al......
Submitted by GregE on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 7:44am.
..........to be a neutral presenter. We hired him to help lead the widening of the racial divide and to go wherever he feels he needs to go to do that and to help to convict people in the court of public opinion and get things stirred up as much as possible regardless of whether he knows any facts or not. Then come back and report on the situation and on himself as a purveyor of all things good.
a Tawana Brawley movie
Submitted by Savonarola on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 9:07am.
That is what we need right now.
I dont see any
Submitted by misterbee241 on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 9:22am.
conflict of interest. You see any conflict of interest?
Why does the name "Al" always seem to be associated with some sort of criminal or shyster, you know, like Al Capone, Al Franken, Al Gore, Al Sharpton? All the henchmen and thugs in the old movies were named "Al" too. Makes one wonder.
Resist. We. Much.
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:21am.
How utterly despicable. MSNBC isn't news.....it's agitprop.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
CableNews Ratings
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:26am.
Here are the latest rating for cable news. I don't see how MESSNBC and CNN stay on the air.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/28/cable-news-ratings-for-tuesd...
Soldout O'Brian is the lowest of the low, 194,000 viewers
GREAT NEWS!!!!!
Submitted by Gat New York on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:19am.
We don't need an investigation or even a trial.
Joe Scarborough (The Morning Schmo) was actually there!
This morning he said definitively that George Zimmerman chased Trayvon Martin and with pre-meditation at point blank range with a 9mm pistol shot Martin to death for no other reason than he was Black - that Martin was this meek kid who weighed 100 pounds less than Zimmerman - and was just a normal kid.
I am impressed. To be that definitive he had to be there because there were other witnesses who have to be wrong because it is no consistent with Scarborough's account. Also I guess you can be a meek pipsqeak even at 6'3" tall. And he was as normal as all of our kids. I am sure everyone here has had a kid who has been suspended from school on three different occasions - can deck a guy with one punch and normally bangs skulls against a sidewalk.
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Question I have is who is more of a jerk? Sharpton or Scarborough?
That's a tough one, Gat
Submitted by Blonde on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:21am.
Scarborough. Home team advantage.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I agree
Submitted by Gat New York on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:31am.
You expect it from Al "Slim Shady" Sharpton - but I find Scarborough to be worse because he is a capitulator and a coward.
Gat
Submitted by Seashell on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:30am.
Scarborough is because he should know better. Sharpton is who he is, but I expected Joe to at least not dismiss all those pesky facts that have come to light.