Chuck Todd Chides NBC News Over Handling Of Ronna McDaniel Hire; Network Gets Backlash Over Decision...

[ShazzieB]

Chuck Todd Chides NBC News Over Handling Of Ronna McDaniel Hire; Network Gets Backlash Over Decision To Retain Former RNC Chair As Analyst

NBC News is facing an internal and external backlash over its hiring of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor, with critics blasting the decision given her past support of Donald Trump’s unfounded election claims.

*snip*

McDaniel appeared on NBC News’ Meet the Press this morning for a sometimes contentious sit down interview with moderator Kristen Welker. Welker had told viewers that the interview was scheduled weeks before it was announced that McDaniel was joining the network. “This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring,” Welker said.

*snip*

Later on Meet the Press, Chuck Todd, the former moderator of the show and NBC News’ chief political analyst, criticized the network as he took part in a panel. He told Welker that “I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.”

Todd said, “She is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract. She wantsus to believe that she was speaking for the RNC when the RNC was paying for her. So she has she has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who’s paying her?

Lots more here: https://deadline.com/2024/03/nbc-news-ronna-mcdaniel-paid-contributor-1235866884/

[Ocelot II]

1. WTF did they think would happen?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Michael Steele was not enough? /nt

[IcyPeas]

3. Yeah, but.... ratings!! How many people tuned in to see this debacle?

[ificandream]

4. I think Kristen Welker and Chuck Todd both did excellent jobs on MTP today.

Welker forced her to finally say Biden was legitimately elected President. Chuck Todd was very honest about the situation. There's been a lot of criticism directed at both of them, but they did excellent work today.

[ShazzieB]

5. I completely agree.

I thought they were both great today. I especially liked Todd's comment about NBC putting Welker in an awkward position today.

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at 30 Rock right now. There seems to be quite an uproar about Ronna's hiring and the way it was sprung on the existing team!

[scipan]

6. Good to know.

I never watch MTP but I live in the DC metro area. Chuck Todd usually did political analysis on the local NBC station Fridays and he was generally spot on. Welker not so much so far.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. I was hard-pressed to find a time when I agree with Chuck Todd, but this is even a moment of clarity for him.

I also rarely if ever agree with Todd but this is one such case

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Roona is gone

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[ShazzieB]

9. GREAT NEWS!

I was hoping something like this would happen, but I didn't know how likely it was.

HOORAY!