In an effort to boost ratings in an election year, major TV networks hired two provocative commentators from the political world to inject some vitriol into their otherwise solid election coverage.
As a result, the 1968 debate between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. was well received by viewers and an unexpected success for ABC News. It also encouraged television news departments to incorporate more partisan voices into their coverage, a trend that intensified at the dawn of his 24-hour cable news era in the early 1980s.
These days, the role of “paid contributors” (contractual, on-demand advertising commentators) has become fully integrated into the TV news ecosystem. The role is typically filled by a political veteran whose experience as an elected official, Belt and Road strategist or West Wing aide can provide an insider's perspective on the day's news.
Or the case of Ronna McDaniel, the former chair of the Republican Party.
Mr. McDaniel's tenure as a paid contributor to NBC News was less successful than many of his colleagues. (Her two immediate predecessors as Republican leader, Michael Steele and Reince Priebus, worked at MSNBC and ABC News.) Her hiring sparked a public revolt by NBC and MSNBC stars. , argued that McDaniel's involvement with his predecessor disqualified him. President Donald J. Trump's efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 election.
She was fired by NBC on Tuesday, four days after taking office. McDaniel was originally signed to make $300,000 a year, but he now wants to be paid at least $600,000 over the two years of his contract, according to a person familiar with his plans.
The episode caused anxiety within NBC News, but as of Wednesday journalists and producers remained confused about their boss's handling of the situation, according to several people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss private discussions. It is said that he was
By Wednesday, critics on the left had been placated by the station's decision to sever ties with Mr. McDaniel. But some NBC political reporters remain concerned that Republican officials, who have ridiculed the network's leadership for refusing to retain Mr. McDaniel, will be more reluctant to report on him in the future. .
Others within NBC have questioned the Byzantine leadership structure established by Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, who said Tuesday that McDaniel's hiring was “completely responsible.” '', but said this was a “collective recommendation'' by the team. Under Mr. Conde, franchises such as the “Today” show, “NBC Nightly News” and MSNBC are divisions of the same company but report to different executives.
Despite the collapse of the McDaniel deal, NBC and its peer networks are unlikely to back away from relying on the Washington veteran to provide commentary alongside traditional journalists.
Ideally, these contributors will enhance the network's ability to explain political events to viewers, even when newsmakers themselves are not available. The network seeks contributors from a variety of ideologies to ensure a variety of perspectives are represented on air.
“Who knows more about life in the White House, the political parties, or the presidential campaign than someone who actually worked there?” Michael LaRosa, former MSNBC producer and spokesperson for First Lady Jill Biden said. “They have a unique experience that perhaps the network's journalists and viewers don't have, which allows us to provide even greater awareness and information to our viewers.”
But finding paid contributors who reflect the views of Trump and his supporters has proven difficult.
In 2017, CNN fired Jeffrey Lord, a Reagan administration veteran and staunch Trump defender, for inciting a Nazi salute in a Twitter exchange. The recent Republican Party's full support of Mr. Trump's baseless conspiracies about election fraud has led to the responsibility of responsibly expressing these views, held by a majority of voters, within the bounds of responsible, fact-based journalism. Questions have arisen about how to include it. .
Some NBC News executives believed Mr. McDaniel struck the right balance. She made several false claims about the 2020 election, but she also angered Trump by not supporting his conspiracies as vigorously as he expected. That distinction didn't register with stars like Rachel Maddow, who called Mr. McDaniel “someone who is part of an ongoing project to dismantle our system of government.”
Partisan paid commentary in television news began in the early days of 24-hour cable, when executives scrambled to fill airtime. Having an expert available to chat with during an hour-long program was a good investment, and in some cases more profitable than traditional journalists, whose interviews can be cumbersome and expensive.
It also made sense for cable networks to hire prominent politicians as vassals. That way, producers didn't have to waste valuable time booking guests when big news was announced. The experts were already paid and were contractually obligated to travel to the studio.
In some cases, the people who voice these opinions become TV stars themselves. Joe Scarborough is a former Republican Congressman. James Carville was a close aide to Bill Clinton. Donna Brazile is a former Democratic Party chair. Nicole Wallace worked in the George W. Bush administration. Alyssa Farrah Griffin served under Trump. The list goes on.
The Beltway stakeholders each offered their own unique charms. “As cable news has evolved, there has been a desire to increase the stature and prestige of these networks,” says Purdue University historian and author of 24/7 Politics: Cable TV and Watergate to Watergate. Kathryn Kramer Brownell, author of “The Fragmentation of America.'' Fox News. “
“The incentive is to claim that you can sell insider knowledge to your audience, which means political insiders can show you how to do it.” Really We run it,” Brownell said in an interview. “We know that's not necessarily true. They have certain views or potentially certain partisan views or ideological agendas. But bringing these insiders into the picture… , networks can compete for viewers and argue that they have something unique to offer.”
Contributors brought another asset to the network: the Rolodex. Glossy magazines have long offered “contributing editor” contracts to socialites in exchange for access to their rare worlds.If it's Vogue For example, when I wanted to photograph the private gardens of a minor Spanish royal family, it was helpful to have a backgammon partner on speed dial. Television news departments operate on a similar philosophy, and former party leaders like Mr. McDaniel help book former colleagues as guests.
Jeff Greenfield, a longtime TV political analyst who started his career in politics, told Politico on Wednesday that despite the backlash against McDaniel, “the operatives were banned as analysts. That doesn’t mean it will happen,” he wrote.
There are several conditions they must meet, he wrote. “Are they willing to speak up about their biases and be considered partisan, or can they put aside their recent politics and tell the honest truth?”
Finally, Greenfield added, “I have a clear and firm view as to whether such a move is defensible. It depends on the circumstances.”