MSNBC'S Sharpton relationship underlines network's disdain for media ethics

Ever since MSNBC signed extremist activistic Al Sharpton as a weeknight big successful 2011, the taxable of media morals has been beside the point. A "news" web that hires a antheral who notoriously dispersed the Tawana Brawley rape hoax successful the 80s – and paid $65,000 successful damages for it – doesn’t connote "news" is their apical concern.  Instead, MSNBC surely thought it could quiescent immoderate concerns astir the radical diverseness of its hosts by hiring 1 of the astir inflammatory Black activists that could beryllium found.

This concern began aft a circular of sugar-boost profiles. On "60 Minutes," longtime CBS analogous Lesley Stahl oozed Sharpton was an Obama insider, "a trusted White House advisor who's go the president's go-to achromatic leader." Tongues wagged that MSNBC was doing Obama a favor, oregon that Sharpton was rewarded for supporting Comcast’s bid to bargain NBC Universal successful 2010.

For 13 years now, MSNBC has ne'er shown a shred of involvement successful media morals erstwhile it comes to Sharpton’s "day job" arsenic a contention hustler, nary substance what the origin of the time was, from Trayvon Martin to George Floyd. The lone clip MSNBC restricted Sharpton was erstwhile they demoted his "PoliticsNation" amusement to weekends successful 2015. 

No 1 thinks Sharpton is simply a ratings draw. He perpetually loses to Fox News, and often to CNN, successful his early-evening clip slot connected weekends. Popularity is not the point.

SHARPTON'S 'PAY TO PLAY' SCANDAL 'RICOCHETING AROUND THE HALLS' OF MSNBC, INSIDER SAYS: 'CAN'T BE ACCEPTABLE'

Back successful 2010, MSNBC concisely suspended hosts Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough for donating to legislature candidates. Sharpton ne'er had to interest for 1 infinitesimal astir appearances of governmental conflict. There look to beryllium nary rules for Rev. Al.

MSNBC reportedly said it was "unaware" that Vice President Kamala Harris’ run paid $500,000 to Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network nonprofit. (MSNBC screenshot)

Democrats who privation his endorsement each unreserved to his National Action Network conferences to question his blessing. In the past competitory Democratic statesmanlike superior run successful 2019, 13 statesmanlike candidates (including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris) made the pilgrimage to NAN.

This was underlined again erstwhile MSNBC claimed it was "unaware" that Sharpton’s National Action Network was fixed $250,000 successful September and October by the Kamala Harris run earlier Harris accepted a softball interrogation connected October 20.

MSNBC WAS ‘UNAWARE’ HARRIS CAMPAIGN GAVE $500K TO AL SHARPTON’S GROUP AHEAD OF FRIENDLY INTERVIEW

Harris was highly stingy successful granting interviews to nationalist media, adjacent to fiercely allied networks similar MSNBC. It’s not hard to ideate that the donations to Sharpton helped her consciousness much comfy that helium would "play ball" with her and not inquire thing difficult. (Harris besides accepted an interrogation from erstwhile CNN pundit Roland Martin, whose institution received $350,000 successful Kamala run cash.)

In a property merchandise announcing his Harris interview, Sharpton didn’t talk of the donations, but gushed "Vice President Harris has been a person of the National Action Network for much than 20 years, and I’m excited to invited her connected "PoliticsNation" this Sunday for what volition nary uncertainty beryllium a robust treatment connected the aboriginal of Black America."

Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for a affable interrogation with MSNBC’s Al Sharpton connected October 20. (MSNBC screenshot)

It wasn’t "robust." Sharpton asked Harris 5 cozy what-say-you questions, not counting supportive statements astir her passion. He decried Trump for calling Harris a "s—t vice president," and disquieted astir what we’re teaching young people. The New York Times and others boosted Kamala’s reply that Trump "demeans the office" with his crude talk….as opposed to MSNBC types perpetually calling Trump a "fascist."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Sharpton’s last softball was this: "Today is your birthday, and we each bespeak connected our birthdays, what our beingness would mean. You called maine connected my birthday. Thanks again. What bash you want, 50 years from now, past to accidental about Kamala Harris?"

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks astir her "love" for Rev. Al Sharpton during a code connected April 14, 2023. (Screenshot/Twitter)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Four days aft the Harris interview, Sharpton was successful Michigan campaigning for Harris astatine 4 stops. Was MSNBC "unaware" of that activism? He routinely hosted "nonpartisan" events boosting Harris and informing astir returning Trump to office.

Media ethicists warned astir MSNBC’s entanglement. But entanglement has its benefits. Among the basal connected MSNBC, Sharpton is inactive seen arsenic a "civil rights icon," not arsenic a truth-mangling embarrassment.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM TIM GRAHAM