"Coming up at 11am on @msnbctv, Gingrich a Reagan republican? We'll put the question to the President's son, Ron Reagan."
That's a teaser tweet MSNBC's Thomas Roberts put out shortly before taking the air to host his 11 a.m. Eastern hour of MSNBC Live. Of course, Ron Reagan is a political liberal, unlike his brother Michael, who is conservative and has been actively campaigning for Gingrich.
Yet neither on Twitter nor on his program did Roberts inform viewers that Ron Reagan is a political liberal nor that his brother Michael Reagan was backing Gingrich, although he noted that Michael is supporting the former House speaker. In an onscreen graphic, Ron Reagan was labeled a "political commentator," "son of Pres. Ronald Reagan," and "former radio talk show host," giving viewers no indication of Ron Reagan's politics.
Ron Reagan demurred when asked to speak, essentially, for his late father about whether the 40th president would approve of Gingrich today, but did add his opinion, underscoring that it was simply his opinion, that his mother Nancy "is not a big Newt Gingrich supporter."
