MSNBC Forbids Ed Schultz From Dem Fundraiser But Allows Joe Scarborough to Raise GOP Cash

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The MSNBC double standard is on full display as the network made Ed Schultz cancel an appearance at a Democratic fundraiser, but is allowing Joe Scarborough to speak at a Republican cash grab.

In December of 2013, Ed Schultz was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Broward Democratic Party’s big Unity Dinner in Florida, but he was forced by his bosses at MSNBC to cancel the appearance and claim that he didn’t know it was a fundraiser.

However, Republican Joe Scarborough is being allowed to deliver a keynote address for Cheshire County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in New Hampshire in May. The fundraiser that Scarborough is appearing at costs $50 per person, and all of the money goes to the Republican Party.

MSNBC has turned down repeated requests for comment from media reporters who want to know why Scarborough is allowed to appear at a fundraiser, but Schultz was not.

It is this kind of a double standard and poor leadership that has led to many viewers distrusting MSNBC. There is a reason why MSNBC is losing viewers and has such a negative perception among cable news viewers.

The problems at MSNBC begin at the top. Viewers don’t trust the people who are running the network, and the people who are running the network tend to ignore what the viewers want. There are many talented people working at MSNBC. The network could be so much more than what it is, but it difficult to believe that they are leaning forward when management has different rules for their liberal and conservative employees.

Keith Olbermann was suspended for donating to Democrats in 2010, and that clash with management was part of the feud that led to his departure from the network. It is difficult to escape the suspicion that the execs at MSNBC are trying to push Ed Schultz out too. They have already tried to shuffle Schultz off to the weekends, but viewer outrage combined with the crashing and burning of Chris Hayes forced the network to bring him back to weekdays.

MSNBC’s behavior is not matching their public image, and it leaves viewers to wonder if the network’s liberal tilt is all a marketing scam.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association