What Does MSNBC Do?

 

 

In a Sunday NY Times article Phil Griffin, MSNBC president, said, "We're not the place for that," when asked about their coverage of 'breaking news.' Ok. Fair enough. The dilemma is, if MSNBC is a news station then shouldn't it, ummm, report the news? A quick channel surf on Friday showed all major cable news outlets, including MSNBC, reporting for many hours on the Oklahoma City/El Reno tornados. Is Mr. Griffin's remarks simply a cover for MSNBC's recent ratings slip (to fourth, even behind HLN)? Maybe.

If they do not report the news, then what does MSNBC do? Apparently it's the "Place for Politics." But what does that mean? MSNBC does report the news and even some breaking stories, but they generally prefer those with political implications. This preference became more pronounced after the restructuring of the NBC News conglomerate a year ago. MSNBC became more affiliated with political commentary then news reporting. The "2013 The State of the News Media" report from the Pew Research Center analyzed the three big cable news networks (FOX, MSNBC, and CNN) for three weeks in late 2012, after the election, and categorized programming based on "Commentary/Opinion" and "Factual Reporting." CNN had a close split with 54% factual reporting and 46% opinion. FOX reversed CNN's numbers with 55% opinion and 45% news. MSNBC only reported factual news 15% of the time with 85% of its programming focused on opinion and commentary. So, as Mr. Griffin stated, MSNBC is not concerned with the news. Don't get me wrong. I actually like MSNBC in that it challenges my political positions and makes me think about issues. MSNBC makes me a better conservative...and it can be funnier than heck.

Unfortunately two of my faves Keith Olbermann and Ed Shultz are either gone or on hiatus. I loved how Olbermann would arch his eyebrows and tuck in his chin when he was really peeved. And Shultz with his finger--he would point it and make a gun with it (don't tell the Justice Department). He would lift his chin high almost daring you to a street fight...classic. Chris Matthews is always more restrained in his angst (maybe that explains why he is still around). He is still intense but it's hard to be intimidated by a guy that gets a tingly feeling in his leg when Obama speaks and has a tendency to mess his hair up like Barney Fife in the old Andy Griffith Show. Lawrence O'Donnell is the pseudo-intellectual. While he likes to finger point too, he exhibits his anger with words. Firing them off so fast, us simpletons are left thinking, "Wha?" If O'Donnell was any more full of himself (like Hannity on FOX) he would explode like Old Faithful. When Al Sharpton's image appears on the screen I immediately start laughing. I continue to laugh as he speaks, and when he is done I have no idea what he said but it was hella funny!

Rachel Maddow is my favorite MSNBC personality. I like Rachel because she is as smart as all the men on MSNBC put together. I also think she sometimes plays fair. She tried to deflect some of the idiotic statements made by her male colleagues (especially Sharpton) during the last election debate cycle. I also think her reporting shows a depth of research not seen with the others. My only beef with Rachel is that she spends a lot of time on her pet peeve issues. When something not good for the Obama administration is big news flipping to The Maddow Show reveals another segment on LGBT rights or the failings of the Bush administration and nothing on the latest story. Now for the new guy on the block, Chris Hayes the Maddow protege. This guy is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. He is witty, speaks well, and meets all the progressive criteria of MSNBC, but he sucks when things are not set-up and prepared for him. His anchoring during the Oklahoma tornadoes was abysmal. I think he has Obamaitis, he can not function well off the cuff or in impromptu situations.

So what does MSNBC do? They offer a progressive interpretation of politically worthy events. Some might say that MSNBC offers a balance to FOX, which to some degree they do, but there is more to it. I rarely see regular conservative guests on MSNBC (occasionally Michael Steele) and the Morning Joe show is quasi-conservative at best. While FOX may not have any progressive commentators, they do have many regulars such as Alan Colmes, Juan Williams, Kirsten Powers, and that man among men, Bob Beckel. Yes, FOX News leans conservative, but they also report real news (45% of the time) and have progressive guests. MSNBC does little to none of that. MSNBC appeals to and feeds a select group much more so than does FOX. That's why I love channel surfing from 5-7pm every night. I watch MSNBC, FOX, and CNN (although I wish al-Qaeda would kidnap Piers Morgan). I would encourage all politically astute people to do the same thing. If you can't stand the sight of Hannity or O'Reilly then laugh, like I do when watching Sharpton or Hayes.

 

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