Discussion: MSNBC 'Parting Ways' With Host Melissa Harris-Perry

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Discussion for article #246591

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MSNBC told The New York Times Sunday that it was “parting ways” with Melissa Harris-Perry after the MSNBC host told staff in an email that she felt as if she lost editorial control and would not appear this weekend on her show.

So, is this MSNBC’s way of saying, “No, I broke up with her. She didn’t break up with me.”?

It’s really quite sad and stunning that a year ago MSNBC had at least five shows hosted by women of color. Now they have one. They had at least five hours a day with minority hosts. Now they have two.

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I don’t understand why TPM has been eliding the racial component to this story. The original article citing Harris-Perry’s e-mail neither mentioned nor quoted any of it which mentioned her allegation of a change to MSNBC’s racial composition, nor her usage of racially-charged language which implied she felt that she was being tokenized as well as marginalized.

(I’m not taking a position on this, as I don’t watch enough television to judge–but the racial aspect seems a big part of this, and I don’t get why it’s not being covered here.
Because if she’s correct, this is despicable. If she’s not, it’s worth asking why.)

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I hope this just means bigger and better things for her. I hope a network like Fusion picks her up or she starts her own podcast. I didn’t always agree with her takes on issues, but she is so insanely smart and thoughtful and charming, it’s a real loss. I especially dislike that they never used her for their election night coverage. MHP is a million times better than Brian Williams, Steve Kornacki, or Chris Matthews at political analysis.

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I can bet that NBC was “confused and disappointed” by her email. They were expecting her to go quietly just like most of the other victims that they and the other broadcast corporations have raped over the years.

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My memory fails me. I remember Melissa, Joy and Alex Wagner. Who are the other two women?

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I realize that losing my subscription isn’t going to bankrupt Comcast, but I think this is it for me with cable TV. I haven’t loved every MSNBC host or program, but what has happened to the content on that channel is sad (especially Chuck Todd et al). I will miss Lawrence O-Donnell and Rachel sometimes, but not much else.

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Good riddance. Her shrill prima Dona act gets annoying and exceeds her programmatic contributions. It’s unncssary for her to become the liberal Donald Trump.

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Tamron Hall, who is the only minority woman who still has a show on MSNBC, and Karen Finney’s Disrupt.

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So is the issue just that they were temporarily running election shows during her time slot, or was it actually something bad? Because I read in a different article that they were doing this with other shows too and it wasn’t a big deal. Is she blowing all this out of proportion or does she have a valid complaint? I’ve read a few of these stories but still don’t know exactly what she’s complaining about.

Frankly, I hate gossip stories about the media. But I hate television news, period. If you want to really learn what’s going on in the world, you’ve got to read about it. Television news is for people who want to think they’re staying informed without doing any of the actual work. It’s like a smoothie version of the truth, all the sugar but little of the substance.

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I get Rachel’s show daily as an audio podcast. (I have cable, but I just find it a more convenient way to get the content, most days.)

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You can watch most of their shows (sometimes edited for length) on the MSNBC website. I haven’t had cable for years but I still watch Maddow every day…

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Who’s the last one?

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I agree and the hair was a huge distraction.

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Karen Finney is working for the Clinton campaign, so despite MSNBC’s website I don’t think she currently works for them.

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Oh, yes, MHP’s hair and sometimes her lipstick. And her clothing was beyond the pale. Women! They just can’t get it right.

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Chammy asked who were the other two women of color were that had shows on MSNBC. Karen Finney did have a show, but it was canceled last year or the year before.

Braids are a huge distraction? Christ, where do you live that simple braids are distracting? What else should she have done with her hair?

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Five months ago, I removed the season pass for “Up with Steve Kornacki” from my DVR.

Today, I deleted the season pass for “MHP.”

I suspect the season passes for “All In with Chris Hayes” and “The Rachel Maddow Show” are soon to follow.

Sigh.

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It was ‘toe the line or go,’ and so she went. Hey Melissa, now you can do stories on GE, unlike Rachel Maddow!

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Chuck Todd is one of the best or the best political journalist in USA, at least of those on TV. That’s why he gets to run the legendary Meet The Press. Only on TPM’s comment boards is the utterly absurd meme proffered that there is something fundamentally wrong with him, but it’s very widespread here I realize.

Unless you’re just nodding to other irrational denunciations of Todd, what you must be objecting over is that he is neutral, balanced, analytical. These are grave sins among many readers here, of course, because many wish for a Matt Drudge of the left (“Romney expected to win in all 50 states!”), Why on earth you would want this is for you to explain, not me.

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