Mere weeks after I launched this journal in February 2005, a friend of a friend (that’s very DC) shared that a CNN producer wanted to talk to me about appearing as a guest commentator. I was flattered. But I soon learned that I was even more naïve.
Because mere seconds into our interview, that producer made clear that CNN was not interested in having me share my views on anything. She just wanted to see if I could spew out left-wing talking points – on cue and with the conviction of a born-again Christian.
I am naturally shy; therefore, I already had misgivings about appearing on TV. More to the point, though, I also knew mere seconds into our interview that I had no interest in performing that talking-head shtick.
Incidentally, that’s also when I decided to keep this site ad-free. My experience only hinted at the way people were already prostituting their minds to boost ratings and the ad-revenue they generate. But it left me so disgusted that I wanted to preclude any chance of doing the same here.
Alas, since then, polarization and monetization have only increased demand for that kind of performance masquerading as commentary and debate. And my disdain for it has increased exponentially.
Granted, given today’s cancel culture – with its guardians of wokeism on the left, Trumpism on the right – a producer would probably get fired for even contacting me. After all, my commentaries continually defy political orthodoxy.
In any event, a number of you have asked over the years why I never appear on TV. I always demurred, fearing my story would evince too much self-righteousness. Never mind that the proof was/is in the viewing every time you turn on Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC.
But that all changed on Tuesday when The Hill published a report under the banner headline “MSNBC producer pens scathing exit letter: Ratings model ‘blocks diversity of thought and content’.” Here is the resonating excerpt:
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Producer Ariana Pekary recently resigned from MSNBC with an open letter accusing the news network of predicating its editorial process on ratings and alleging that its model ‘blocks diversity of thought and content because the networks have incentive to amplify fringe voices and events.’…
‘It’s possible that I’m more sensitive to the editorial process due to my background in public radio, where no decision I ever witnessed was predicated on how a topic or guest would ‘rate.’
The resignation echoes that of former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss, who last month penned a scathing resignation [claiming that] ‘showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery.’
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I couldn’t have said it better …
But I cannot resist remarking on Pekary’s admonition that the liberal media are making the same mistake they made in 2016 “by focusing almost exclusively on Trump.”
Because she’s echoing the admonition I’ve been issuing ever since I published “Humping Trump Exposes News Anchormen as Worse than Used Car Salesmen,” May 2, 2016; and which I issued again just days ago in “Delay Election? No, That’s Just Trump Being the Master of Distraction; the Media, His Klieg-Light Operators,” August 1, 2020.
That said, thank God I had the presence of mind to spare myself the years of soul-crushing disillusionment Pekary and Weiss suffered. And even though I would never have put up with the years of bullying Weiss documented, my heart goes out to her.
All the same, without their experiences and public complaints, I suspect my explanation for rejecting those invitations to “rate” for TV would have rubbed people the wrong way. But, at long last, there you have it.
Related commentaries:
humping Trump… delay election…