What Was NBC Even Thinking?
AtlanticMar 25
Controversy Continues Over NBC Hiring of Ronna McDaniel
The Facts
NBC might face an employee boycott after it hired former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel as an on-air political analyst, causing backlash at the network.
McDaniel served as head of the RNC for the past seven years, pushing former Pres. Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and even urging two Wayne County, Mich., officials not to certify the county's election results.
The Spin
Left narrative
McDaniel's lies while serving as RNC chair give her no credibility. And her stint at the RNC was marked by failures, including the 2022 midterm elections. She brings little value to NBC viewership and even her fair share of criticism from MAGA viewers. If NBC wants to bring in an alternative voice, it could do much better than someone furthering institutional, anti-democratic rhetoric.
Right narrative
In a democracy, it's important to represent various points of view, especially on national news networks. It's not surprising that liberal voices at NBC are droning their intolerance for McDaniel, but hopefully, the news executives will stand up to the resistance and allow McDaniel to provide her side of the news events that will be affecting the nation.
Cynical narrative
There are likely financial reasons behind this deal as McDaniel's hiring is drawing fire from both the MAGA right and the left. Whether this involves potential corporate mergers or dynamics between the political operatives and media outlets is unclear, but McDaniel shows that the cross-pollination between the pundits and politics is way too much.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that, in the 2024 US Presidential election, any state will officially submit results to the electoral college that are different from the projected winner of that state, according to the Metaculus prediction community.