Why would a journalist for MSNBC sit on an explosive story for over a week and allow her company’s competitors to report on it first? It’s hard to believe that the answer to that question is anything but political bias.
By now we’ve all heard the inflammatory and divisive rhetoric Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) spewed at an August 22nd “Job’s Fair” sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. As reported on several websites and discussed on Fox News, Carson said this about the Tea Party coalition in Congress:
“This is the effort that we are seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now with this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me (I’m sorry Tamron*) hanging on a tree,”
The statement was featured at Breitbart.tv and has been reported by ABC News, Fox News, Washington Post, NY Times, Huffington Post, CNN, USA Today, NY Daily News and many local news outlets. Yet a search of “Andre Carson” on MSNBC.com turns up nothing about this story. And that’s curious considering one of MSNBC’s daytime anchors was sitting only a few feet away from Carson when he made the statement.
Tamron Hall, host of MSNBC’s “NewsNation” was the moderator for the “For the People” Jobs Initiative event in Miami on August 22nd. In fact, you can hear Rep. Carson refer to Hall when he makes his statement. He says: “I’m sorry Tamron”* right before he accuses his fellow congressman of wanting to lynch the people in the room.
So why would Tamron Hall not report this? There are only a few explanations.
Tamron Hall didn’t see the newsworthiness of the inflammatory statement.
If this is the case, MSNBC needs to re-think Ms. Hall’s credentials as a journalist, in spite of her well-earned B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Temple University. It’s impossible to argue that a congressman telling a crowd of supporters that his political opponents wants to see them all hanging from a tree isn’t worthy of reporting. And, based on the growing controversy over the comments and the number of news outlets NOW reporting on the story, it clearly is newsworthy.
Tamron Hall told her editors and producers at MSNBC and they decided not to run it.
If this is the case, then Ms. Hall’s instincts as a reporter are still sound and she needs to try to find a job at a real news organization. For MSNBC to willfully ignore this story, they have to make the claim that all of their competitors are wrong and that Carson’s comments are just a “dog bites man” kind of thing. That may be their view, but it makes no sense for a supposed news organization to take that position, unless there are underlying biases and agendas overriding standard, news gathering protocols.
Tamron Hall understood the newsworthiness of the statement, but kept her mouth shut so as not to cast a negative light on Carson and the Congressional Black Caucus.
If this is the case, Tamron Hall has given up on being taken seriously as a news anchor and needs to move to the advocacy profession. Perhaps a job at Think Progress or as a staffer for Rep. Carson is more suited to her abilities. But she can’t be taken seriously as a news anchor at a major cable network if she willfully stays silent on a major story because she doesn’t want to harm her friends or ideological allies.
Remember, Ms. Hall does not anchor an opinion show in the “after 5:00 PM” window that her colleague Al Sharpton claims is reserved for non-journalists. Ms. Hall is an anchor during the hours when MSNBC porports to be delivering the news to their viewers. But, clearly not all the news, just the news that keeps their pals like Rep. Carson looking good.
Here is the actual report MSNBC ran on the event:
realmreynolds.com contributed to this story.
* Note: Some transcripts of Carson’s remarks quote the congressman as saying “I’m sorry Chairman”, a possible reference to Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) Chairman of the CBC who was also in attendance. Either way, Tamron Hall did moderate the event and was present with Rep. Carson when he made this remark.
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