The leaders of two of America’s preeminent news media organizations had lunch last week to discuss the increased tensions between their two outlets.
But apparently New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet and MSNBC president and general manager Phil Griffin were not able to resolve their issues at the lunch, reports CNN’s Brian Stelter.
This all stems from a May 30 Vanity Fair story by Joe Pompeo, where he reported that New York Times executives were instructing its reporters to “steer clear of any cable-news shows that the masthead perceives as too partisan.” Maddow’s show is evidently one of those (and Morning Joe seems not to be), and the network’s No. 1 personality is not happy about it.
Baquet told The Daily Beast last month: “We will still appear on television when invited. It’s the most sharply opinionated shows that give me pause. I’m not sure which shows we will avoid. The line is increasingly blurred. Again, this is not an assault on our television compatriots. It’s my strong view that opinion and news need to be separated.”
According to Stelter, several New York Times journalists said they are in the dark about the new rules. It appears to be a “preference” more than a “ban.”
Maddow’s producers have reached out to New York Times journalists for years, and consistent viewers of TRMS have watched her speak with print reporters about their stories almost daily. Maddow is known to congratulate reporters on-air for breaking stories of significance.
“For over a decade, The Rachel Maddow Show has welcomed the best journalists from across the country and celebrated the hard work they do, day-in and day-out,” an MSNBC spokesperson told TVNewser last month. “This includes countless New York Times reporters and editors. That commitment to journalism is part of the DNA of the show.”