Liberalguy

MSNBC: Spies R Us? By Arnold Ahlert (bio)

On Wednesday, something stunning happened–and I’m not talking about anything to do with Sarah Palin or her electrifying speech at the Republican Nation Convention. This is about MSNBC–and their complete abandonment of journalistic standards and integrity. Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan and Republican strategist Mike Murphy were part of a live TV panel hosted by NBC’s political analyst Chuck Todd. They were discussing the Sarah Palin nomination, her upcoming speech and the media’s treatment of the vice-presidential candidate. When the segment was over, MSNBC cut to a commercial–and that’s when the network went over the cliff. During the break, Noonan and Murphy said some disparaging things about Palin in particular, and the GOP in general. Hypocritical? Perhaps–but ostensibly off the record, since the show was off-air at the time. That the microphones were still live? Not particularly unusual. But how about this: taping the off air conversation surreptitiously–and sending a copy of it to blogging website Huffington Post? Or this: according to Ms. Noonan herself, doctoring the tape to make it appear she said something she didn’t, and posting it on the Internet? Reading reactions to this episode in the left-wing blogosphere was chilling. All those dopes cared about was the “gotcha” aspect of the story. The fact that a major news network would resort to such tactics? That MSNBC is so in the tank for Obama that it spies on its OWN show and contacts a hard-left website to distribute the info? Memo to the dopes: what goes around can just as easily come around. More importantly, if this is what passes for professional information gathering and distribution, journalistic “standards” are deader than the proverbial doornail. Remember that the next time you want–or need–”reliable” information. Memo to the “suits” at MSNBC: if “covert ops” committed by paid employees are OK, you are no longer a news organization. Somebody needs to be fired, or your credibility is zero. No one–from either side of the political divide–appearing on any news show should have to assume they’re walking into something resembling a KGB interrogation chamber. Should they? We’ll see.