MSNBC anchor Chuck Todd claimed on Wednesday that “there is no editorial view” on any of “MSNBC’s newscasts in the daytime,” prompting howls from conservative media members on Twitter.
Todd’s assertion came after a heated exchange between MSNBC anchor Katy Tur and a spokesman for President Trump’s reelection campaign, Tim Murtaugh.
“Just a reminder, for what it’s worth, there is no editorial view here on any of these newscasts on MSNBC in the daytime,” Todd said while co-anchoring with Tur.
The “Meet the Press” moderator made the disclaimer after Murtaugh said Tur made a “speech” instead of acting as an objective anchor.
“I do not recall MSNBC or CNN or anybody else be concerned about the safety of people who attended those gatherings, but suddenly, when it is involving a President Trump rally, then of course, then these safety measures are of paramount,” Murtaugh argued, comparing coverage of protests over the police killing of George Floyd to Trump’s recent campaign events. “But when it’s a large gathering with a political message that MSNBC would agree with, suddenly safety measures are on the back burner.”
“I attended a number of those rallies, everybody was wearing a mask, hand sanitizer was handed out,” Tur retorted. “And we just saw the images of those rallies. People were not wearing masks inside the president’s rally. There was not social distancing being practiced. We saw the signs that were removed from seats. You can say you handed out hand sanitizer and gave out masks, they weren’t wearing them. And also, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci today has said that the incubation period for this disease could be longer than just two weeks.”
“I appreciate that speech, Katy. Thank you,” Murtaugh jabbed as the interview ended.
Reaction to Todd’s disclaimer quickly appeared on Twitter.