via newsbusters
During Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC, newly hired MSNBC anchor Joshua Johnson (formerly with NPR) had a candid moment when he admitted the media took part in helping the DNC whip votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and implored his colleagues not to lobby for certain candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Johnson’s truth bomb was dropped after moderator and NBC political director Chuck Todd lamented how each of the Democratic candidates had a “fatal flaw.” The first point Johnson sought to make was to recall how the Democratic National Committee threw their institutional bulk behind Clinton early in the process:
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Going further, Johnson shifted to discussing what the media’s role was in 2016. “So, one of the things I’m interested in seeing in 2020 is, how much we will allow Democrats to make their own choice? The story of who the party is supposed to support is not up to us, it’s up to Democrats.” In the midst of saying that, he gestured to the people sitting around the table.
Todd, who often fights the losing battle of claiming there’s no such thing as media bias in favor of Democrats, didn’t seem pleased. He gave an annoyed sounding “yeah” to Johnson’s comments and a quick glimpse of his face seemed to confirm the tone.
Former and current Democratic Party operative with a byline Chuck Todd hates to be reminded that he is indeed a Democratic Party operative with a byline.
Flashback: Reporter: The head of NBC News’s political coverage tried to bully me out of a scoop — on behalf of the DNC. “Since when does the head of an allegedly independent news organization do a favor for a political party?” Early and often, if you’re NBC.
h/t ED