MSNBC, NBC News stay silent on editor DNC 'bullying controversy,' embrace Ocasio-Cortez with town hall
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It’s all silent at 30 Rock in response to allegations a top political editor tried to "intimidate” him into spiking a story about the Democratic National Committee in a chilling phone conversation that he says had her acting as a political operative and not a fellow journalist.
Dafna Linzer, the managing editor of NBC News and MSNBC’s political coverage, was accused by freelance journalist Yashar Ali of trying to block him from publishing the dates of the 2020 Democratic Party primary debates.
Ali, a high-profile reporter whose work has appeared in the Huffington Post and New York magazine, said he suspects Lizner made the move to benefit the DNC, not her employers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News has contacted MSNBC regarding the shocking allegations multiple times since they made headlines Friday afternoon, but the network is yet to respond.
Some media commentators have linked the controversy surrounding Linzer and the network’s high-profile Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., town hall last Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Both are examples of liberal groupthink,” Media Research Center vice president Dan Gainor told Fox News.
“The traditional media angle on this is the press thinks they did nothing wrong. Look at how CNN tried to whitewash it.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“But when a “neutral” journalist takes the role of political operative and isn’t disciplined, then everything that outlet does is suspect.”
Gainor then turned his attention to the town hall, saying: “This is MSNBC cheerleading Ocasio-Cortez, the most left-wing person in Congress.
“Even better, watch when the press complains that conservatives are fixated on her. No, they aren’t. They are just noticing how much the major media love socialism.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Ocasio-Cortez town hall, hosted by MSNBC primetime host Chris Hayes, wasn’t a hit with audiences Friday night.
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According to Nielsen’s early ratings, it garnered 1,568,000 total viewers while Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s program had 2,656,000. CNN’s Anderson Cooper picked up 733,000 total viewers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News drew 420,000 viewers aged 25-54, while the MSNBC town hall had 232,000 viewers and CNN had just 155,000 in the demo, the ratings showed.
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The town hall was a chance for Ocasio-Cortez to present her progressive policies, including the Green New Deal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I didn’t expect them to make total fools of themselves,” Ocasio-Cortez told the roaring crowd, referring to critics of her proposal. “Frankly, I expected a little more nuance and I expected a little more concern-trolling.”