New York, April 13 (BNA): The appointment of non-journalists as contributors to television news organizations is not new. It is less common to see a regression of such decisions from journalists working there, as happened recently at CBS and NBC News.
Discontent over CBS’ appointment of former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as commentator and discussions about current White House press secretary Jen Psaki working for MSNBC emerged when her time in the Biden administration ended.
In both cases, journalists have been publicly silent about their concerns about the decisions. Concerned about Psaki — who raised ethical issues for the press secretary — NBC News President Noah Oppenheim was forced to address the discussions in a conference call with Washington-based staff, CNN first reported.
While the two cases are different, the fact that these internal complaints surfaced illustrates some of the pressure many journalists feel, said Mark Whitaker, former CEO of NBC News, CNN, and Newsweek. He said they are already operating at a highly partisan time and face accusations of promoting “fake news”.
“There is a sense that it makes our job more difficult when we are under attack anyway,” Whitaker said.
Every case is more complicated than rubbing elbows in a water cooler with my party.
Neither MSNBC nor Psaki have publicly confirmed their conversations about a role there. MSNBC has already hired Simon Sanders, a former keynote speaker to Vice President Kamala Harris, for a job starting in May.
NBC News has made an effort to paint the differences between its journalists and MSNBC, which has promoted its own opinion programming, although this is embarrassing when journalists like Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd give shows on the cable network.
At least until the situation becomes clearer, NBC News reporters are placed in the uncomfortable position of having professional contact with someone who may soon become a colleague.
Kristen Welker, NBC White House Correspondent, asked Psaki about her status at a recent White House briefing, saying, “Is it ethical to continue to do this job while negotiating with a media outlet?”
Without confirming or denying those conversations, Psaki said she had already exceeded strict ethical requirements. Welker continued twice, asking, “How can you be an effective feeder if, in fact, you have plans to join a media outlet?”
Psaki said she has taken steps to make sure there is no conflict. While the situation remains in flux, CNN has stated that it does not expect to conduct any on-camera interviews with NBC News or MSNBC employees, and will not be involved in decisions regarding network reservation management officials.
Oppenheim declined the opportunity to discuss the issue through a speaker.
CBS News said Mulvaney’s signing was part of the network’s building of its list of contributors ahead of the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections.
Co-chair of the news division, Neeraj Khamlani, said in a staff meeting before the announcement that CBS is making sure it is hiring contributors who will ensure the network’s access to officials in both parties as the midterm elections approach, according to the tape. He presented that meeting to the Washington Post.
In addition to internal grumbling, CBS News received outside criticism; For example, a post columnist, Margaret Sullivan, criticized the “extreme cynicism” of the move. Mulvaney, a former congressman, served as chief of staff, as well as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
CBS has had other like-minded outsiders as shareholders, such as former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, and recently announced the signing of former National Security Adviser HR McMaster.
However, Mulvaney drew criticism for lying when he publicly admitted that Trump withheld aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate political opponents, and later indicated that he had not said so. In the early days of the coronavirus, he said, the media was promoting the virus as a way to topple Trump.
“Even in opinion journalism, respect for facts is essential,” said Geneva Overholser, a veteran consultant who has worked at the University of Missouri and University of Southern California’s Annenberg Schools of Journalism.
“I read the reaction of CBS employees as an attempt to uphold this principle, to continue upholding the honor of the network,” she said. “More power to them.”
Al-Khimlani was not provided for an interview. When Mulvaney appears as a commentator on political news, CBS said, he will be with news anchors who can give context to his remarks.
A spokeswoman said that since the March 29 announcement of his appointment as a contributor, he has appeared once on the network’s streaming service but has not yet appeared on television.