MSNBC has not made a public comment one way or the other, and the network has repeatedly opted not to air Trump events before.
The government shutdown over Democrats’ refusal to pass spending for border security is now in its third week.
Many media figures weighed in on social media Monday over the decision.
CNN’s Brian Stelter tweeted that a “TV exec” told him he was torn on what to do about the address.
“TV exec texts: ‘He calls us fake news all the time, but needs access to airwaves… If we give him the time, he’ll deliver a fact-free screed without rebuttal. And if we don’t give him the time, he’ll call every network partisan. So we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t,’” Stelter posted.
TV exec texts: “He calls us fake news all the time, but needs access to airwaves… If we give him the time, he’ll deliver a fact-free screed without rebuttal. And if we don’t give him the time, he’ll call every network partisan. So we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 7, 2019
Last week, Stelter used his newsletter to promote the idea of not airing presidential events live because of Trump’s “lies.”
Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post, among others, pointed out that when former president Obama gave an address on immigration in 2014, networks did not run it because it was thought of as too political.
Of note: All four networks refused Obama’s request to air a prime-time address on proposed executive actions related to immigration in 2014; it just ran on cable. https://t.co/Vcm5IwcPZT
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) January 7, 2019
Others called for outright censorship, with Vox Media’s Matt Yglesias saying, “Don’t give Trump free airtime to lie about the shutdown with no interruptions, context, or fact-checking.”
Don’t give Trump free airtime to lie about the shutdown with no interruptions, context, or fact-checking.
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) January 7, 2019
via Breitbart News
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