As our friends at the Washington Examiner and Washington Free Beacon have reported, former MSNBC host Krystal Ball eviscerated her former employer MSNBC on Thursday during The Hill TV’s Rising by comparing them to Infowars for their breathlessly deranged coverage of the “feverish Russian conspiracy theories,” suggesting the Mueller hearing would resonate in middle America, and not showing accountability.
In the show except posted on YouTube, one knew that this was going to be something as Ball starting by saying that going after MSNBC “gives me no joy” and that it’s “not meant to be personal” (click “expand”):
So after watching seven hours of a spectacle that felt much more cruel than enlightening, I can no longer avoid pondering a question which, honestly, gives me no joy to ponder: just how much damage has MSNBC in particular done to the left? Now, this critique is not meant to be personal to the anchors and commentators there. Many of whom, I know. Some of whom are actually close friends, having worked at that network for five years. But nearly all of whom got swept up in the ratings bubble that was feverish Russian conspiracy theories.
While she made clear that she doesn’t deny that Russian interference took place like Glenn Greenwald might, Ball specifically cited Rachel Maddow as some who not only has “some explaining to do” but an example of someone who “[drank] more deeply of the Russia conspiracy waters than others.”
Ball ruled that the findings of the Trump-Russia probe produced “a damning set of facts, but it does not feel like a damning set of facts when for months MSNBC built segment after segment, show after show on building anticipation for a big reveal when we would learn the true depths of Trump's fealty and direct conspiracy with Putin.”
The former co-host of The Cycle then provided two examples, building up to her claim that MSNBC wasn’t engaging in “journalism” but promoting a “Infowars conspiracy theory” (click “expand”):
In some of the most fevered speculation, primetime shows actually invited Jonathan Chait onto lay out his wild theory that Trump had actually been a Russian asset since 1987. Chait starts out his analysis, I watched this back last night, by acknowledging that Trump, as multi-decade long Russian asset, is “probably not true, but it might be.” Characters like conspiracy gadfly Louise Mensch were invited on. Mensch, through her Twitter account, often “reported” things like the notion that Steve Bannon was getting “the death penalty, for espionage.” They had this person on MSNBC. Seriously. This is not journalism. It is Infowars conspiracy theory.
Ball made clear that “CNN and many other outlets are also clearly not blameless in this hype machine” plus the Democratic Party because it “was plenty happy to engage in this speculation as well as Saagar just pointed out. Individual members clearly loved that sweet cable news spotlight, but I single out my former employer in particular in part because they were certainly the worst mainstream offenders.”
After a brief aside to state that MSNBC isn’t so much biased towards liberals as they are toward money and ratings from “empty nesters on the coasts,” Ball separately unloaded on Chris Hayes and legal analyst Mimi Rocah’s entire TV career as only happening thanks to the hysteria (click “expand”):
Consider this whole setup has done more damage to the Democrats’ chances of getting back the White House than anything that Trump could ever have dreamed up. Think of the time and the journalistic resources that could have been devoted to stories — I don’t know — that a broad swath of people might actually care about? Healthcare, wages, the teachers movement, whether we’re going to war, I’m just spit balling here. I actually heard some pundit on Chris Hayes’s last night opining that independent women in middle America were going to be swayed by what Mueller said yesterday. Are you kidding me? This is almost as bonkers as and lacking in factual basis as that time that Mimi Rocah said that Bernie Sanders was not pro-women because that was what her feelings told her. Rocah, by the way, a former federal prosecutor with no political background, is only opining at MSNBC because of her role as leading viewers to think that, any day now, SNDY is going to bring down Trump and his entire family. Now, most of the wild conspiracy theorizing fell apart when the Mueller report was released, but one key element of the story remained: Mueller the hero. The white knight who would come riding in at the last moment to convince those independent, middle America women that Trump was the crook and the scoundrel that we said all along..... Needless to say, the white knight rides no more.
She concluded by claiming that while the President “really is the crook,” the case should be made other ways instead of fixating on Russia conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality.
Afterward, Ball discussed the topic with co-host (and former Daily Caller writer) Saagar Enjeti and Enjeti admitted that he was “still giggling because I forgot about KGB 1987 plot.”
“Yeah, I — I’ve watched this with so much annoyance for two years. And look, I’m gleeful to watch these peoples’ careers and hopes just destroyed on the rocks because it’s great to watch people with hubris fall,” he added.
Before going to break, the pair admitted that there won’t “be any accountability” across these outlets for their deranged coverage (click “expand”):
BALL: And, but they’re not going to fall is the thing. Like —
ENJETI: Well — no. No.
BALL: — it’s not like there’s going to be any accountability.
ENJETI: They won’t. But —
BALL: It worked for as long as it worked. Now, they’ll move onto something else.
ENJETI: They’ll all remain on cable and Wittes and LawFare and all these people will continue cranking these ridiculous pieces. But we all know and that helps.
Exit question: Are you in need of a laugh? If so, recall this doozy involving Ball in 2014 during The Cycle.
To see the relevant transcript from The Hill TV’s Rising with Krystal & Saagar on July 25, click “expand.”
The Hill TV’s Rising with Krystal & Saagar
July 25, 2019KRYSTAL BALL: So after watching seven hours of a spectacle that felt much more cruel than enlightening, I can no longer avoid pondering a question which, honestly, gives me no joy to ponder: just how much damage has MSNBC in particular done to the left? Now, this critique is not meant to be personal to the anchors and commentators there. Many of whom, I know. Some of whom are actually close friends, having worked at that network for five years. But nearly all of whom got swept up in the ratings bubble that was feverish Russian conspiracy theories. At MSNBC, as with all things, systems and incentives are more important for analyzing any particular situation than individual personalities. However, I dare to say, some talent did drink more deeply of the Russia conspiracy waters than others. Rachel Maddow, you got some explaining to do. Now, I am not a Glenn Greenwald who thinks this was all ridiculous and that the Trump campaign did nothing nefarious vis-a-vie Russia. The President’s team clearly sought to work with Russia. They used Russian illegal activity to their own benefit, and then they lied about the whole mess to try to cover it up. Those are the facts and it is a damning set of facts, but it does not feel like a damning set of facts when for months MSNBC built segment after segment, show after show on building anticipation for a big reveal when we would learn the true depths of Trump's fealty and direct conspiracy with Putin. In some of the most fevered speculation, primetime shows actually invited Jonathan Chait onto lay out his wild theory that Trump had actually been a Russian asset since 1987. Chait starts out his analysis, I watched this back last night, by acknowledging that Trump, as multi-decade long Russian asset, is “probably not true, but it might be.” Characters like conspiracy gadfly Louise Mensch were invited on. Mensch, through her Twitter account, often “reported” things like the notion that Steve Bannon was getting “the death penalty, for espionage.” They had this person on MSNBC. Seriously. This is not journalism. It is Infowars conspiracy theory.
Now, CNN and many other outlets are also clearly not blameless in this hype machine. And the Democratic Party was plenty happy to engage in this speculation as well as Saagar just pointed out. Individual members clearly loved that sweet cable news spotlight, but I single out my former employer in particular in part because they were certainly the worst mainstream offenders. And also to dispel this public perception that MSNBC is on team D in the same way that Fox News is on team R. They’re not. Look, like most corporate entities, MSNBC is a diehard member of the Green Party and I’m obviously not talking about climate change here. Russia conspiracy was great for ratings among the key demographic of empty nesters on the coasts with too much time on their hands. Consider this whole setup has done more damage to the Democrats’ chances of getting back the White House than anything that Trump could ever have dreamed up. Think of the time and the journalistic resources that could have been devoted to stories — I don’t know — that a broad swath of people might actually care about? Healthcare, wages, the teachers movement, whether we’re going to war, I’m just spit balling here. I actually heard some pundit on Chris Hayes’s last night opining that independent women in middle America were going to be swayed by what Mueller said yesterday. Are you kidding me? This is almost as bonkers as and lacking in factual basis as that time that Mimi Rocah said that Bernie Sanders was not pro-women because that was what her feelings told her. Rocah, by the way, a former federal prosecutor with no political background, is only opining at MSNBC because of her role as leading viewers to think that, any day now, SNDY is going to bring down Trump and his entire family.
Now, most of the wild conspiracy theorizing fell apart when the Mueller report was released, but one key element of the story remained: Mueller the hero. The white knight who would come riding in at the last moment to convince those independent, middle America women that Trump was the crook and the scoundrel that we said all along. Needless to say, the white knight rides no more. Of course, in many ways, Trump really is the crook that we said all along, but by trying to make the spectacular case, we set the bar unimaginably high and made Trump’s actual corruption, broken promises and casual cruelty seem ordinary by comparison. Now please, as I said before, can we move the heck on? And, Saagar, if there’s one positive to all of this, it’s that it has so crashed onto the rocks —
SAAGAR ENJETI: Yeah, right.
BALL: — that I think we may actually move on.
ENJETI: So I’m still giggling because I forgot about KGB 1987 plot that Jonathan — I was like, “oh yeah. I forgot about that!”
BALL: That was a cover story.
ENJETI: No, I remember.
BALL: That was a cover story. What if Trump was a —
ENJETI: Yeah, right. 1987.
BALL: — I could never have imagined a worse possible — I’m like, how was that journalism?
ENJETI: Yeah, I — I’ve watched this with so much annoyance for two years. And look, I’m gleeful to watch these peoples’ careers and hopes just destroyed on the rocks because it’s great to watch people with hubris fall.
BALL: And, but they’re not going to fall is the thing. Like —
ENJETI: Well — no. No.
BALL: — it’s not like there’s going to be any accountability.
ENJETI: They won’t. But —
BALL: It worked for as long as it worked. Now, they’ll move onto something else.
ENJETI: They’ll all remain on cable and Wittes and LawFare and all these people will continue cranking these ridiculous pieces. But we all know and that helps.
BALL: I do think Louise Mensch will —
ENJETI: Yeah.
BALL: — go away. That one case.
