On cable news, it's 2016 all over again

One of the key reasons I resigned from MSNBC is due to how ratings determined most of their election coverage. I watched substantive conversations get sidelined for shallow political discussions (usually negative) about Donald Trump. In fact, MSNBC often dedicates more time to Trump than either FOX News or CNN. Not only does Joe Biden lose out, but all of the candidates in the 2020 cycle lost out, as well as other important topics like judicial nominations and fatal police shootings. Recently, it was agonizing to watch CNN host Don Lemon acknowledge the election coverage they should have been discussing (in his unscripted crosstalk with Chris Cuomo), only to retreat to the Trump dominated formula they and all the other networks have relied upon since 2015 (in his scripted segment). Unfortunately, the flawed coverage will continue even after the election, no matter who wins, and in the end, the public will remain the true loser.

Read my full column for CJR on the subject, "Television Journalism will remain broken post-Trump."