Count PBS’s Tavis Smiley amongst those in the media finally beginning to realize what an absolute joke MSNBC is.
During an interview with new CNNer Morgan Spurlock Wednesday, Smiley mentioned MSNBC chief Phil Griffin’s recent comments about his network not being the place for breaking news and concluded, “They do spin. They spin… If I don’t like your spin, I’ll go to Fox News” (video follows with transcript and commentary):
TAVIS SMILEY: I was struck by this. MSNBC recently took a beating in the ratings, I mean, because of so many breaking news stories over the last few months in part. You know, CNN kicked them in the behind, Fox News wore them out, even Headline News wore them out. You know, MSNBC bringing up the rear. And I’m not saying that to bash them. I’m saying it because these are the facts.
So as a result of these facts coming out, the president of MSNBC comes out and does a press conference, or at least does an interview with the New York Times I believe, and basically says, “We got killed because we don’t do news so well.” And I thought that was an astonishing statement, very honest. They do spin. They spin. You know, if that’s what you do, and that’s how you make money, you know, God bless you. If I don’t like your spin, I’ll go to Fox News.
But the fact that the head of MSNBC can say, “We just don’t do news so well, so we got killed the last few months because there were so many breaking news stories including Boston, etc., etc., and that’s why CNN goes to the top,” what do you make of the fact that we live in an era now where the heads of certain cable networks say, “You know what, we took a shellacking, but we just don’t do news that well?”
First of all, CNN didn’t go to the top. MSNBC just went to the bottom. Fox is still the top in cable news, and has been for many years.
And it wasn't the :heads" of cable "networks." It was ONE head of ONE cable network admitting to the New York Times that his station isn't the place for breaking news.
But the beauty of this is that even extremely liberal news members such as Tavis Smiley are not only realizing what a farce MSNBC is, they’re willing to say it in public.
As NewsBusters has been relaying for years, the only question now is when are the nation’s cable and satellite providers going to also realize this and move MSNBC away from the real news providers on their program guide.
(HT Mediaite)
