The wisdom of Edward R. Murrow and NBC’s disgrace
The journalism disgrace at NBC/MSNBC is historic. Do not doubt that. The hiring of a fascist, Ronna McDaniel, who is an election denier and serial liar who conspired to overthrow democracy in America is as cynical and corrupt as it gets.
Here is an excerpt from a speech by Edward R. Murrow to the Radio-Television News Directors Association Convention, delivered in 1958:
One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising, and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and, at times, demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles. The top management of the networks, with a few notable exceptions, has been trained in advertising, research, sales, or show business. But by the nature of the corporate structure, they also make the final and crucial decisions having to do with news and public affairs. Frequently they have neither the time nor the competence to do this. It is after all not easy for the same small group of men to decide whether to buy a new station for millions of dollars, build a new building, alter the rate card, buy a new Western, sell a soap opera, decide what defensive line to take in connection with the latest Congressional inquiry, how much money to spend on promoting a new program, what additions or deletions should be made in the existing covey or clutch of vice presidents, and at the same time -- frequently on the long, same long day -- to give mature, thoughtful consideration to the manifold problems that confront those who are charged with the responsibility for news and public affairs.
Sometimes there is a clash between the public interest and the corporate interest. A telephone call or a letter from the proper quarter in Washington -- it is treated rather more seriously than a communication from an irate, but not politically potent, viewer. It is tempting enough to give away a little air time for frequently irresponsible and unwarranted utterances in an effort to temper the wind of political criticism. But this could well be the subject of a separate and even lengthier and drearier dissertation.
NBC's hiring Ronna McDaniel is vile.
Vile because it shreds what little credibility that remains with corporate news.
Vile because it eliminates the already weak pretense of delivering facts without bias.
Vile because it announces to the world what we already suspected but strenuously hoped wasn't true:
These beancounters don't give a tinker's damn about what they tell us, as long as we're listening (and watching) them tell us.
What's next? Hannity doing guest spots on the Today show?
Or maybe Laura Ingraham can muscle in on Hoda and Jenna a few times a week?
It's bad folks....
Real bad.
The talent at MSNBC should be raising pure Hell about this. It makes them all look like a bad joke.