On Friday, NBC’s Today show could not find any time to cover an exclusive report from its own network showing major trouble for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. An NBC News survey found that over 50 Democratic congressional candidates have pledged to oppose Pelosi as Speaker of the House if they win a majority in November’s midterm elections.
The scoop, published at 7:09 a.m. ET, just after the NBC morning show began, found that “At least 42 of the party’s nominees for House seats have declared they will not back Pelosi and nine incumbent Democratic lawmakers are on the record opposing her, bringing the total to 51.” The report continued: “An additional 34 Democratic nominees are neither for nor against Pelosi, who has led her party in the House since 2003.”
While the Today show skipped the bad news for the Democratic leader, it did provide over four minutes to a segment about an increasing number of people getting plastic surgery in order to take better pictures of themselves to post on social media. In addition, the broadcast’s entire 8:30 a.m. ET half hour was devoted to a live concert from singer Jason Mraz.
The story was instead relegated to MSNBC, where Morning Joe managed a two and a half minute report on the topic at the very end of the three-hour show, just before 9:00 a.m. ET. However, it was first teased on the program before 7:00 a.m. ET.
The co-author of the NBCNews.com piece, Ali Vitali, informed viewers: “The candidate uprising is partly fueled by anti-establish energy on her left....But mainly by Democrats on her right, including top recruits facing attacks in typically Republican districts.” She observed moments later: “From competitive races to long-shots, a mounting number skeptical of another term with Pelosi at the helm.”
If such opposition to Pelosi holds, it could cause turmoil in House Democratic leadership and jeopardize her hold on power. Such significant political news should easily draw media attention, and yet, it was passed over by the Today show’s producers.
Will Friday’s NBC Nightly News cover the story? How about Sunday’s Meet the Press?
