WaPo - How Ed Schultz transformed from MSNBC lefty to the American face of Moscow media

[TomCADem]

The story of Ed Schultz selling out to notable in two respects. First, his hiring by Russia Today reflects a comprehensive propaganda strategy by the Russians to influence not only Republicans, most notably Donald Trump, but to also try to influence the left and undermine Democrats who are not seen as friendly to Russia. Second, it seems that everyone has price, and in the case of Ed Schultz, he is now on the Russia Today payroll carrying water for Donald Trump and Putin. It is not just matter of watching out for right wing corporate media, but you can very well have media targeting the left that is heavily controlled by foreign actors.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/how-ed-schultz-transformed-from-msnbc-lefty-to-the-american-face-of-moscow-media/2016/12/20/320713f4-c322-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html?utm_term=.87f88a2a9925

Ed Schultz used to be the bombastic lefty host of a syndicated radio show and daily MSNBC program. He befriended Hillary Clinton, called Donald Trump “a racist” for his birther views, and once beseeched God to take Dick Cheney “to the promised land.”

In 2014, he ripped Russian President Vladi­mir Putin’s “nasty” human rights record. He also torched American conservatives for siding with the Russian president as a counter to President Obama. “Putie is their new hero,” sneered Schultz. But the times have changed. And so has Ed Schultz.

* * *
Schultz now hosts RT America’s signature evening newscast, “News With Ed Schultz,” produced in a studio located three blocks from the White House. Schultz is the American face — ruddy, beefy, with a megaphone voice — of a Moscow-based media organization that reports the news a little differently than CNN or NBC.

“Good evening, friends,” Schultz boomed on his program one recent evening before swiftly segueing into “the alleged hacking” of the presidential election by Russia. Schultz skipped the latest details, such as President Obama’s views on the matter or the consensus among American intelligence agencies about the extent of Russian meddling. Instead he went straight to Ed Schultz’s view of the matter: “This has become a lifeline for Clinton supporters in an effort to reverse the outcome of the election. .?.?. In the meantime, the story has entered the arena of outrageous.”

[msongs]

1. there are several allegedly liberal outfits pimped out on RT nt

[No Vested Interest]

2. Ed Schultz never was very cerebral in his arguments.

He's really just a hack, no matter what he said two years ago or last week.
No depth to his bellowing.

I can't imagine he brought much of an audience with him, no matter where he landed a job.
Good riddance.

[Cha]

3. Good ol sellout schultz.. i never liked him.

[AmericanActivist]

4. I never liked him either. nm

[StealthIL]

5. +1 n/t

[livetohike]

10. Me neither and this goes back to his radio days. I never trusted him

that he was a Democrat.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

6. I got an email reply from Ed 10 years ago.

He showed up on Air America and lefties were leary of him being a "born again liberal" having been doing right wing talk in the past. He made a good case but would definitely say questionable things from time to time, so I wrote to complain once and he replied: "Give me a break".

[Hulk]

7. I always thought of his schtick as "rush limpballs of the left."

Never did care for his demeanor, and always felt like he was little better than the oxycotin kingster on the wacko reichtag.

Not at all surprised by this news. Always felt he was more himself than for any progressive movement. He can go to hell with all the other political hacks who sold their souls for thirty pieces of silver.

[YOHABLO]

8. So WaPo, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos is no different than RT ?

Sometimes it is not about who owns the medium by which you are expressing your point of view, but the point view itself. RT also features Thom Hartmann and Mike Papantonio, and if you do not know who these commentators are, than I suggest you get with it. So why the attack on Shultz?

[mucifer]

9. Well if he stopped bashing trump and his checks are signed by the Russians that might be why.

[TomCADem]

12. Serious False Equivalency. Private Ownerhship versus Foreign Gov't Controlled?

To begin with, you should always be aware of the motives of the owner. This is why MSNBC stories used to publish a disclaimer that it was partly owned by Microsoft when discussing Microsoft. Likewise, if WaPo was discussing Amazon, you should take it with a grain of salt. But, with Russia Today, you have a Russian owned media outlet that is first and foremost a mouth piece for the Russian Government:

http://www.cjr.org/feature/what_is_russia_today.php

It is a propaganda outlet. When the Russians hacked the Democrats, then sent that data to WikiLeaks, Russia Today then turned around and categorized and sort the various e-mails to facilitate and amplify the damage of such leaks to the Democrats.

In answer to your question about Thom Hartmann and Mike Papantinio, I think we should absolutely be aware of where they are drawing their paycheck. It is no different from when Sheldon Adelson purchased the Las Vegas Review Journal. You had to be aware of whether Sheldon Adelson had any interest in the story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/business/media/sheldon-adelsonspurchase-of-las-vegas-paper-seen-as-a-power-play.html?_r=0

LAS VEGAS — Two days after Sheldon Adelson’s lawyers lost in their attempts to have a judge removed from a contentious lawsuit that threatens his gambling empire, a call went out to the publisher of this city’s most prominent newspaper.

Almost immediately, journalists were summoned to a meeting with the publisher and the general counsel and told they must monitor the courtroom actions of the judge and two others in the city. When the journalists protested, they were told that it was an instruction from above and that there was no choice in the matter.

It is unclear whether Mr. Adelson, who was then in talks to buy the newspaper, The Las Vegas Review-Journal, or his associates were behind the directive or even knew about it. But the instruction came in the first week of November, as negotiations on the sale were drawing to a close. It was an ominous coincidence for many in the city who worry what will become of the paper now that it is owned by Mr. Adelson, a billionaire casino magnate and prominent Republican donor with a history of aggressively pursuing his interests.

Suspicions about his motives for paying a lavish $140 million for the newspaper last month are based on his reputation in Las Vegas as a figure comfortable with using his money in support of his numerous business and political concerns, said more than a dozen of the current and former Review-Journal staffers and local civic figures who have worked closely with him.

Finally, consider that in 2010 Russia itself barred foreign ownership of media properties in Russia. Why? Perhaps because they know better than most about the potential of using such properties to directly interfere in the political discourse of a country:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/26/russia-limit-foreign-ownership-media

[stonecutter357]

11. who!

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. "Schultzs newly purchased jet" - that's a serious sellout (nt)