MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and other top anchors from the left-leaning cable networks hosted the coverage from their Manhattan headquarters, with the Republican National Convention projected as a backdrop on a giant video screen.
The unusual arrangement has raised ethical concerns about allowing viewers to see the media’s biggest stars as if they were on the ground in Milwaukee covering the four-day tournament.
“If news organizations don’t clearly communicate where they stand, how can viewers trust and have confidence in what the stories are actually about?” Frank Sesno, a media veteran and former CNN Washington bureau chief, told The New York Times.
“It may seem like a frivolous thing – Oh, well, it’s just a background photo – but there’s something deep and important here.”
MSNBC, which has been facing internal turmoil after network executives replaced “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski in the wake of the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, announced last week that it would have a limited on-site presence in Milwaukee.
The cable network sent just two people to the convention at Fiserv Forum: Stephanie Ruhle, host of the 11 p.m. show “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” and Katy Tur, host of the daytime show “Katy Tur Reports.”
MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff, also in Milwaukee, was told to “get out of here” by Donald Trump Jr. during a heated interview on immigration on the opening night Monday, after the president’s son blasted the network as “clowns.”
The dearth of local journalists pales in comparison to rival CNN’s massive presence in key battleground states, with panelists Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins, Chris Wallace and others providing reporting and analysis.
MSNBC anchors at 30 Rockefeller Plaza have never claimed to be reporting from Milwaukee, but have only subtly referenced their location throughout the network’s reporting, he said. Times.
Maddow, along with hosts Joy Reid and Jen Psaki, kicked off the opening night’s 7 p.m. broadcast by noting that the panel would be based at “MSNBC headquarters.”
Around 9 p.m., Maddow told correspondents, “Greetings from MSNBC headquarters in New York.”
During Tuesday’s primetime broadcast, “All In” host Chris Hayes greeted viewers with “Good evening from New York” as the show began at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, MSNBC’s sister company, NBC News, sent “Today” co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt to broadcast from Milwaukee. During Monday night’s broadcast, Guthrie interviewed MSNBC host Psaki, who appeared on a split screen.
But the LED screen backdrop behind Psaki made it look as if they were both at the convention.
An MSNBC spokesman denied that the move could give viewers the impression that the network’s commentators were broadcasting from a convention hall in Milwaukee.
“At the beginning of every broadcast, hosts will identify whether they are in New York or at MSNBC headquarters,” a representative told The Times.
The Post has reached out to MSNBC for comment.
