The Huffington Post’s editorial director, Danny Shea, appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Friday to discuss the site’s decision to continue to cover Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the entertainment section, rather than in the news section. Shea stood firm on his stance, comparing the site’s decision to the time Mika Brzezinski ripped up a script about Paris Hilton.
“You were the heroine of a media moment. You said enough already and we’re saying the exact same thing. We’re saying that we will not participate in this sort of legitimacy of a fringe candidate who doesn’t even believe that Obama was born in the United States. To give him the coverage, to legitimize him time and time again only perpetuates the legitimacy of a sideshow,” Shea said.
On the media’s role covering Trump, Shea continued:
We would say the media’s role is to lead here like Mika did when she ripped up the Paris Hilton script. It’s our job to decide how we cover the candidates. For me, the fundamental issue is that we’re not passive observers here in the Trump show, we have a role to play and nobody can deny that his poll numbers are fueled by non-stop media coverage which you wouldn’t give him if he weren’t a celebrity. You’re not giving Bernie Sanders the wall-to-wall coverage because he’s not taking you on his helicopter for people to just go for joy rides above the Iowa State Fair.
Check out the entire interview and let us know what you think in the comments section below: