MSNBC capitulates to Priebus..

[SoCalDem]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/01/30/rnc-bans-staff-from-msnbc-barring-apology-from-boss/


RNC bans staff from MSNBC barring apology from boss

By Erik Wemple
January 30 at 12:20 pm

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus isn’t at all pleased about what MSNBC put on Twitter last night. As discussed here, the network made note of an ad for Cheerios featuring a biracial family. It wrote up a story on it and promoted it with this tweet:


Citing that tweet, Priebus today declared that he had banned “all RNC staff from appearing on, or booking any RNC surrogates on MSNBC.” He communicated the ban in a letter to MSNBC President Phil Griffin and insisted that it would remain in place until Griffin “personally and publicly apologize[s] for this behavior.” He also wrote a memo to “all Republican elected officials, strategists, surrogates, and pundits” asking them to join in the MSNBC freeze-out.Sean Spicer, the RNC’s communications director, told the Erik Wemple Blog that already a “handful of folks” have gotten in touch to express their solidarity with the ban. As for the insistence that Griffin come out with a public apology, Spicer argues, “He needs to accept responsibility as CEO for the inappropriate behavior of the people who work for him.”

According to Spicer, MSNBC has expressed a willingness to get Griffin on the phone with the RNC. “They’re trying to set something up for the afternoon,” says Spicer. Yet, as the RNC’s missives on the matter make clear, the ban won’t end by virtue of a private phone conversation.

Full Priebus memo here:

MEMORANDUM

FROM: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus
TO: All Republican Elected Officials, Strategists, Surrogates, and Pundits
RE: Until MSNBC’s Phil Griffin Apologizes…

Last night, MSNBC sent out a tweet that read as follows.

[Tweet not available]

While we understand MSNBC will go to great lengths to discredit Republicans and conservatives, this kind of attack on the millions of Americans who identify with the political right is offensive and unacceptable.
snip

This morning I left a message with MSNBC President Phil Griffin to express my displeasure. I have sent him a letter demanding that he personally, as president of the network, take responsibility and apologize for the disgusting tweet. Until he takes internal corrective action and personally apologizes — not just to the RNC but to all right-of-center Americans — I’m banning all RNC staff from appearing on, associating with, or booking any RNC surrogates on MSNBC.

snip

MSNBC hosts — including Alec Baldwin, Martin Bashir, Melissa Harris-Perry, Alex Wagner, and Ronan Farrow just to name a few — have had a troubling streak in the last several weeks of making comments that belittle and demean Americans without furthering any thoughtful dialogue. Perhaps it’s time for the executives at MSNBC to consider whether their network is upholding a meaningful journalistic mission. This is more than just a tweet or an offhand comment. This is part of a pattern of behavior that has gotten markedly worse, and until Phil Griffin personally apologizes and takes corrective action, we cannot be part of this network’s toxic programming.

snip

[CBGLuthier]

1. Wait. Ronan fucking Farrow has a show on MSNBC?

What a joke network. I am so damned glad I do not pay any money for that crap.

[Xyzse]

2. A shame...

Their pundits can say hateful generalizations without getting in to much trouble.

Generally I counsel apologies, but towards someone like Preibus? No, it just shows that you are weak to someone that twisted.

They are big enough to not really need an RNC operative to do news.

Heck, it might even balance their reporting and have actual experts that can paint a truer picture of most matters.

[SoCalDem]

4. I was so hoping to finally get rid of the "hall-monitors" on EVERY show.

Who really cares to hear the same tired talking points over and over and over?

It would have been really nice to have intelligent conversations instead of blather from the "right" being trotted out.

Let them all go hang out at Fox, and let the rest of us hear some truth

[RoverSuswade]

3. I mean REALLY?-this is such crap.

What about F O X X N E W S ????????
Jesus H. I hear equal stuff AND WORSE, MUCH WORSE slander against the "left Wing" DAILY out of the mouths of those 'hot' blond Foxchicks. I want to scream!

[SoCalDem]

6. Our side never complains..

[stillwaiting]

12. Our side is just used to an avalanche of hate being directed at us and our values.

Non-stop. It's simply who they are and what they do.

It's why it becomes so very hard to connect with a movement conservative on an emotional level. It's difficult to think of someone as a friend when they demonize your values and even your identity.

Our side has much more class than theirs so when something gets said, on occasion, that states our point of view with some passion, anger, or a lack of tact, they go ballistic.

They really are such incredible bully-babies.

Of course, they don't seem to know or seem to care that they say much, much, much worse things about us. Every day.

[Gothmog]

5. This apology is a bad idea

I think that MSNBC is making a mistake here

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. They flew into a tizzy over that tweet??? What a bunch of freakin' whiny babies!

Also, way to jump on the defensive there, Rinse Penis.

[SoCalDem]

8. Hey, it worked..

This is the republican plan.. Their party is LOADED with racists, so they call everyone else racist first.

[lpbk2713]

9. This seems hypocritical of them to say the least.

The GOP had to conduct sensitivity seminars not too long ago for its leaders.
If it wasn't necessary they wouldn't have done it. It's disingenuous for them
to have such a rabid reaction to something so innocuous.

[G_j]

10. could someone explain

what is "disgusting" about the tweet? I guess I'm missing something.

[Bandit]

11. Republicans learned a long time ago "The Squeaky wheel Gets the Grease"

Their loudest Squeaker (cry baby) is Rush Limbaugh

[Laelth]

13. Quite true.

Most of them, from my experience, live by that creed.

-Laelth

[silverweb]

14. Blackmail.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Pure and simple -- and over a tweet ffs.

If MSNBC folds on this, they're giving a green light for the GOP to claim approval rights over any future commentary, as well.

STUPID!!

[SoCalDem]

15. Phil Griffin should have told Reince to book all his attention-whores on Fox

but , true to form, he apologized for a person saying what was true...and provably true.... and set in motion yet another layer of censorship, since Fox & CNN will be blathering about it for a week or more, and no one at MSNBC will dare to talk about it...anyone who is not a republican, that is..