Apparently the message a defiant MSNBC wants to put across in the wake of a disastrous couple of months is that nothing is going to change. Responding to a National Review story that reported MSNBC had made some editorial changes following the calamity that resulted in the resignation of anchor Martin Bashir, the Lean Forward network’s spokeswoman Lauren Skowronski told The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple, “There have been no changes to our editorial process.”
If nothing else, you would think MSNBC would want to reassure its colleagues, staff, and fans that a plan is in place to make sure the parade of humiliations the network has suffered these past few months won’t happen again. The message, though, is the complete opposite.
According to National Review Online’s Eliana Johnson, after Bashir was forced to leave the network (after suggesting someone defecate in former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin’s mouth), Rich Stockwell, a seasoned executive producer, was assigned the role of reviewing scripts before broadcast. Great idea, right?
A little adult oversight like this could have saved Bashir’s job and MSNBC a whole lot of embarrassment. As incredible as it may seem, Bashir appeared to be reading from a prepared script when he made his disgusting comments about Palin.
According to MSNBC, though, Stockwell’s “responsibilities have not changed” and “There have been no changes to our editorial process.”
In just the past couple of months, MSNBC has lost Bashir; Alec Baldwin was forced to leave the network after hurling anti-gay slurs at the paparazzi; via Twitter, Toure called a black CNN anchor a “white leader“; on the air, Melissa Harris-Perry compared the word “ObamaCare” to the N-word and stated incorrectly that “ObamaCare” is a word created by “wealthy white men“; and then there is the most recent Harris-Perry debacle with her show’s attack on Mitt Romney’s infant grandson.
Furthermore, MSNBC’s ratings are plummeting. National Review reports that the left-wing cable network’s ratings are down 29% over last year. You expect a ratings drop after a presidential election year, but Fox News is only down 5% and CNN has held steady.
Despite all this, MSNBC appears ready to pursue a course of more of the same.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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