Former MSNBC producer Ariana Pekary has claimed that she was told by the bosses not to interview former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang and “several others” as the race for the nomination was heating up.
Pekary, who left the liberal cable news network in August, dropped the bombshell about her former employer’s alleged election bias in a series of tweets on Sunday, after Yang teased her appearance on his podcast.
“Actually, I just reviewed my journal. On 4/25/19, I was told that we were never to pursue Andrew for an interview on our show (along with several others),” Pekary tweeted, adding that the names of welcome and unwelcome guests were “dictated” from above without any explanation given.
Actually, I just reviewed my journal. On 4/25/19, I was told that we were never to pursue Andrew for an interview on our show (along with several others). The list of candidates was dictated, but the reasons for allowing them or not were not explained.
The list of candidates was dictated, but the reasons for allowing them or not were not explained
The same day Pekary claimed she was given the message Joe Biden announced his run for presidency.
Pekary further explained that she couldn’t speak for the whole network, saying that “the list was unique to The Last Word” (The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell show) and, presumably, did not come from MSNBC’s higher-ups.
Falling short of disclosing other names on the approved list of guests, Pekary said that she was “somewhat surprised” as to who had made it and who turned out to be personae non gratae.
“And looking back, I’m somewhat surprised by the list – who was in, who was out (“somewhat” but not entirely). Some “friends” of the show were out, others were in,” she tweeted.
Unfortunately it is not a joke. To be clear the list was unique to The Last Word (did not come from upper mgt). And looking back, I’m somewhat surprised by the list – who was in, who was out (“somewhat” but not entirely). Some “friends” of the show were out, others were in.
Pekary’s admission has sparked a guessing game as to who else might have been barred from appearing on the show, and whether the same rules applied to the network as a whole.
“Are you legally bound around this stuff, or can you post a bunch of screenshots for us?” one asked.
I’m guessing Tulsi was on the list too?
“Do you know if other shows on MSNBC had similar lists? Was it common to not invite presidential contenders on the network?” another tweeted.
Yang, who now works for CNN as a political commentator, appeared to be taken aback by the revelation.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this Ariana. https://t.co/QO8v4jL4zi
While the show or the network itself has yet to comment on Pekary’s claim, it’s not the first time the cable channel faces accusations of muting non-mainstream political voices.
Late newsman Ed Schultz, who worked for MSNBC before joining RT America, claimed in a 2018 interview that he was barred from covering Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid announcement five minutes before he was to come on air. Schultz said that he received a last-minute call from then-president of the network, Phil Griffin, who told him he was not “covering this.”
MSNBC’s sister channel, CNBC, raised eyebrows earlier this year after they replaced Yang’s face with that of a similarly-named businessman, and the face of another Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard with that of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand during their segment on election fundraising. The channel eventually apologized for the mistake.
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