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I said I would try to have an open mind as I watched Meet the Press today to see how NBC handled its interview with Trump and the debut of a new host. After viewing the show, reading NBC's fact check, and monitoring the program's Twitter feed, I am left with these impressions. 1/
NBC chose a "zero innovations" model for how to conduct and present a Trump interview at this stage in his degradation. Everything was predictable, nothing was surprising, and new host Kristen Welker did nothing to justify going to the well again with another Trump Q & A. 2/
On the show, Welker raised the criticism she knew NBC would get for doing this, and asked Peter Baker to respond. He said it's unthinkable that journalists stop asking questions of a major party candidate, even though it's true that Trump lies and constructs his own reality. 3/
Baker said this was a "hard problem" for people in his profession, but what can we do?
Which is what I mean by a "zero innovations" model, in which you simply ignore the fact that interviewing Trump does not work. No accountability moment ever comes. 4/
Which is what I mean by a "zero innovations" model, in which you simply ignore the fact that interviewing Trump does not work. No accountability moment ever comes. 4/
https://twitter.com/ZaleskiLuke/status/1703412189762031910
Trump enjoys being the unreliable narrator of his own deeds and intentions. So if Welker gets him to say, "Yes I will testify to that!" (as she did) the informational gain is zero even though she did her job by "pinning him down." The transcript is full of victories like that. 5/
These problems are old news and well known to anyone who pays attention. What I learned by bringing an open mind to Meet the Press was... nothing, really.
But let me tell you why I tuned in today.
It's not true that the news system never learns from its dealings with Trump. 6/
But let me tell you why I tuned in today.
It's not true that the news system never learns from its dealings with Trump. 6/
We have a recent counter example. After CNN's debacle in staging a "town hall" with Trump, no one else has tried to do it. The risk is too high. It's become common wisdom that you need to tape and edit him. No, it's not a momentous change, but it does show a bit of learning. 7/
I doubt we will ever know (same company) but I would love to hear what @Maddow thought about NBC's interview with Trump.
She is the one who said on air: “There’s a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things.”
NBC willingly paid that cost today. 8/
She is the one who said on air: “There’s a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things.”
NBC willingly paid that cost today. 8/
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