April 29, 2024

HOSTILE WORKPLACE: Internal REVOLT EXPLODES at NBC over Ronna McDaniel hiring

McDaniel

The RNC’s loss is, as it turns out, also a loss for NBC.

Ronna McDaniel left the Republican National Committee because Donald Trump didn’t want her there, but her new colleagues at NBC, where she’s been hired for political commentary, aren’t happy about her joining them, either.

Now, they’re making sure that the viewers know it, too.

Immediately after McDaniel’s hiring was announced, former NBC employees and other public figures spoke out against the decision, and the former Republican Party chief appeared on the show not as a commentator but as an interview subject, thanks to her time in the RNC and in the Trump camp.

Host Kristen Welker introduced the contentious segment by giving the audience a heads-up, both on the fact that the interview had been scheduled before the hiring was announced and that it wasn’t her fault or decision.

Later, Chuck Todd told Welker, on the air, that their employers owed her an apology for putting her in that position. He indicated that McDaniel’s answers in the interview could hardly be trusted, since she now has a motivation not to lose her contract. Todd said:

“She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with…There’s a reason why a lot of journalists at NBC are uncomfortable with this…when NBC made the decision to give her NBC’s credibility, you’ve got to ask yourself, what does she bring NBC News?”

He emphasized that there are circumstances under which it would be appropriate to connect with McDaniel, such as specifically to cover RNC matters, but implied that nobody on the company’s journalism teams has been told what to expect or why they’re bringing Ronna into the fold.

Meanwhile, Ronna’s Sunday interview showed exactly why there are concerns.

One of the first things that came up was her support of Trump as she headed the RNC, despite arguing that she was “neutral” during her time as Republican National Committee Co-Chair.

Only weeks ago, before the primaries affirmed that Trump had the delegates to be the nominee, McDaniel was calling for Nikki Haley to drop out and hand the nomination over to the former president.

Retired NBC executive Mike Sington turned to Twitter to call for a boycott of Meet the Press’s interview with Ronna. He said:

“McDaniel took part in Trump’s plot to assemble a fake slate of electors to overturn the results of the 2020 election. She was also involved in pressuring Michigan officials to not certify the vote. McDaniel is an ultra MAGA Trump sycophant who has constantly lied about the 2020 election results. She does not deserve a platform on NBC.”

If NBC decides to listen to its journalists and viewers, Ronna may be searching for employment again before long.

Watch Welker’s disclaimer and McDaniel’s claims of neutrality below.

Below, see Chuck Todd call out the company for hiring McDaniel to begin with.

Sington’s full post calling for a boycott is below.

NBC’s hiring of McDaniel is misguided “both-sides-erism” at its worst that can only reduce the trust that the public has in the ability of mainstream media to determine the truth in the news cycle.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: