Scarborough jams with Huckabee?
The Dallas Morning News’ David Levinthal writes about Mike Huckabee at an Iowa rally. There’s one small part in it that raised a big red flag…
Then Mr. Huckabee showed up with a bass guitar. And a band, with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on rhythm guitar. And they started playing “Sweet Home Alabama.” Mr. Norris stood to the side, hands in bluejeans pockets, bopping to the beat. The scene would be like a bad acid trip for a diehard Democrat.
What is Scarborough doing anywhere near a Huckabee rally in what can only be observed as an advocacy position? This morning Huckabee was on Morning Joe. I can just see people asking themselves whether Scarborough’s appearance with Huckabee had any bearing on Huckabee’s appearance on “Morning Joe”. It probably didn’t. But that’s not the point. The point is it gives the appearance of a quid pro quo even if none exists.
Doesn’t NBC News have some sort of firewall conflict of interest policy about that sort of behavior? If it was Sean Hannity doing that it would be all over the blue blogs about how FNC was letting Hannity run amock. We’ve already had conflict of interest charges thrown at CNN because of James Carville’s close association to Hillary Clinton and rumors that he may be advising her campaign.
Update: According to the comments, Hannity is crossing the line with regards to Rudolph Giuliani.
Update 2: Heavily modified original post to better flesh out my thoughts…
It was mentioned by the Judge in F&F First this Morning. He said isn’t that Scarborough and then Alison said oh yeah from that other show and Steve tried to change the subject.
Comment by Mike Beckham — January 2, 2008 @ 8:58 am
BTW Spud, Hannity is already running amuck doing campaign intro’s etc.. at events for Rudy
Comment by Mike Beckham — January 2, 2008 @ 8:58 am
Back when Bush was running for re-election Joe Scarborough did a campaign appearance with him. I recall it because TVN had a screen grab of a Bush rally with Joe on stage.
Comment by johnny dollar — January 2, 2008 @ 9:04 am
But the difference, Mike, is that Sean is not supposed to be unbiased. He is the conservative view point on a debate show… so, I don’t really see the need for him to appear unbiased.
Joe, on the other hand, hosts a show where he’s supposed to be somewhat unbiased. It’s a morning show, not a forum for his opinions. Although, frankly, this doesn’t bother me all that much.
But perhaps Joe will be tonight’s… Worst Person In The WOOOOORLD. But… probably not.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 2, 2008 @ 9:07 am
Well you’d expect Hannity to go for a conservative…duh. But to play favorites amongst the pack of conservatives out there and show up at their rallys is another matter. And J$, Scarborough was just a primetime pundit/talking head in 2003/4. What’s going on with Morning Joe is a whole other ball of wax.
Comment by Spud — January 2, 2008 @ 9:33 am
I don’t see why? He is still a Right Leaning political pundit?
Comment by Mike Beckham — January 2, 2008 @ 10:18 am
I’m not sure what you mean that Joe was just a pundit or talking head at the time. He was hosting his own primetime show on msnbc. In fact, though this is not my favorite site to link to, this incident has been memorialized by the folks at media matters:
Comment by johnny dollar — January 2, 2008 @ 10:19 am
I was stunned when I saw the tape of Joe playing in the band with Huckabee.
It is unexceptable and crosses the line.
Joe should have a collision with his bosses over this collusion.
Maybe he is hoping for a White House Press Secretary’s job.
Comment by Cella — January 2, 2008 @ 10:21 am
Joe, on the other hand, hosts a show where he’s supposed to be somewhat unbiased. It’s a morning show, not a forum for his opinions.
Not sure I get this - wasn’t Imus in the Morning all about Imus’ opinions? Did he make any pretense of journalistic detachment? (I’m not asking to be snotty - I’m asking because I never listened to him and don’t know.)
I agree with Imnot that I can’t get too exercised over this - I stopped expecting journalistic integrity from the conservatives a long, long time ago.
Comment by Arthur — January 2, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Dollar, there’s a huge difference in format between Morning Joe and what was once Scarborough Country.
Comment by Spud — January 2, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Arthur, it’s not because it’s a morning show that opinions aren’t expected… it’s because, as Spud has just said, it was a different format show.
But yeah, you can’t expect that kind of ethics out of the conservatives. Good thing the liberal hosts don’t do stuff like that… or donate personal items to be auctioned at liberal fundraisers.
http://www.olbermannwatch.com/archives/2007/08/olbermann_raisi.php
Associating journalistic ethics with a political party… puh-lease… give me a break.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 2, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
Just saying, Imnot - the right invented advocacy infotainment with Rush Limbaugh. I believe the excuse then was ‘it’s entertainment, not journalism; he doesn’t HAVE to be unbiased’. Okay, fair enough.
Comment by Arthur — January 2, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
I loved watching “Scarborough Country” but as it went on it just seems ms/nbc started teaking with his program and just ruind it.. think about what they did with tuckers situastion show that was on in the evenings good program then again it was tweaked with and now his show sucks
so in a sense there is a “huge difference” THEY SUCK
Comment by chris — January 2, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
> Dollar, there’s a huge difference in format between Morning Joe and what was once Scarborough Country.
True. But I also think the earlier incident–where he was essentially campaigning for a candidate–is more troubling than the latest deal, where he was arguably just goofing around musically. Not sure that either is a huge ethical problem, but campaigning for someone is more serious than playing guitar.
Comment by johnny dollar — January 2, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
campaigning for someone is more serious than playing guitar.
I gotta agree with Dollar here. Some guys would do anything or go anywhere to get onstage holding a guitar. They’d ‘jam with the devil’, as the saying goes.
Comment by Arthur — January 2, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
The right did not invent “infotainment”… they just do it ‘apparently’ more successfully. And I say ‘apparently’ because there are so many other outlets that host left-thinking people and ideology that it’s not really a fair comparison.
The right has only few of programs, but the ideology is overt and the focus of the programs… the left has a lot of programs, but the focus isn’t the politics… the politics sneak in. For example… the right has Rush… and the left has “ER” which occasionally picks up a liberal talking-point in the middle of the show.
Do you know what I’m trying to say? There are more shows that on occasion pick up liberal talking-points, but attempt to do so somewhat subtly… while if politics from the right gets into a program, it’s usually because that’s the focus of the program. Both are attempting to “info-tain” the audience… it’s just how they approach that is different.
But more importantly, there were political debate programs long before Rush Limbaugh ever became popular… it’s just that he became more popular than any political/infotainment host had ever come before.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 2, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
“But more importantly, there were political debate programs long before Rush Limbaugh ever became popular… it’s just that he became more popular than any political/infotainment host had ever come before.”
And he came along right after the end of the Fairness Doctrine, so he didn’t have to debate anyone. Political Dabate shows in the 70’s and early 80’s were someone on the left, someone the right which was parodied in “Kentucky Fried Movie”, “Airplane” and SNL’s “Jane, you ignorant slut” pieces.
Comment by Cory!! Strode — January 2, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
And I say ‘apparently’ because there are so many other outlets that host left-thinking people and ideology that it’s not really a fair comparison.
The right has a lock on talk-radio; for some reason, the left has never gotten any traction in this medium. The left, otoh, dominates the blogosphere.
When you start mixing in episodic fictional TV, you lose me. We WERE talking about journalism/opinion television. How ER got in there I do not know. Perhaps the right should produce and/or support a conservative ‘West Wing’?
there were political debate programs long before Rush Limbaugh ever became popular
Limbaugh is not a ‘debate’ program by any meaningful interpretation of the word.
Comment by Arthur — January 2, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
I see no difference between what Scarboro did than what Imus did by shilling endlessly for Joe Lieberman, or Hannity hosting fundraisers and campaigning on his show for Guiliani. They aren’t journalists and never have been. Imus is a DJ who built a career on imitating whoever was popular in NYC, and Joe is a former Congressman. You watch their shows, you’re watching for opinion.
Comment by Cory!! Strode — January 2, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Tucker campaigns for Ron Paul, doesn’t he?
Comment by jmkaib — January 2, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
If you were believe the people on this board Scarborough should be on the the bandwagon of a Democrat. I ask now in comparison who is Lieberman supporting? John McCain.
Scarborough clearly wants to bring Christ back to America and begin perfecting those of you who need perfecting.
Comment by elmonica — January 2, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
1. Scarborough could have just been jammin with Huckabee. Do we have to divide lib/con ethics over an awesome beat?
2. On Morning Joe, Mika Brezenski is Joe’s liberal foil so he do what he wants on Morning Joe
Comment by Aaron — January 2, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
CORRECTION:
..so he CAN do what he wants….
Comment by Aaron — January 2, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
I would not call Mika ‘liberal’. She said she really liked Huckabee!
Comment by Mike Beckham — January 2, 2008 @ 10:42 pm