New York Times, MSNBC Team Up For Special Primary Edition

The New York Times and MSNBC are teaming up to deliver a special series of cable shows hosted by John Harwood and featuring several Times staffers, the first of which premiered today.

Details are vague, but the New York Times memo explaining the program appears below (via New York Observer), as well as the video of Harwood introducing the program. Note how he brands the New York Times "the place for politics in print," an extension of MSNBC's "the place for politics" slogan:

The New York Times Special Primary Edition, a new NYT/MSNBC political program hosted by John Harwood debuts today at 2 p.m. Guests include Adam Nagourney, Pat Healy, Jeff Zeleny, Gail Collins and other Times reporters

This is the first in a series of special programs featuring Times journalists which MSNBC hopes to broadcast throughout the rest of the political season. Segments will also run on NYTimes.com.

Watch:

From MSNBC, 5/5

Comments

[wish4change]

I'm delighted MSNBC is trying to lean more towards the middle by giving John Harwood his own show. We will learn very quickly the direction of the show by the guests booked on it. Because of the bias for Obama by the network in general, if the bias keeps up with the newer shows like John's, viewers like me will be gone in a heartbeat.

I boycott Matthews, Olberman and Joe & Mika (and Shuster & Andria Mitchell whenever they are on a program) because of their bias against my candidate. They wouldn't giver her credit for anything even if their life depended upon it. They have no creditability, in my mind.

David Gregory's show was interesting in the beginning but I'm starting to tire of it also. Not because of the format but because of the guests (shrill Rachel Maddow, slurpy Eugene Robinson and that yucky Ed Schultz guy ..all Obama lovers). I personally would like to see more female guests and less black and white male guests .... the balance is off but it seems the networks are afraid to rock the boat. Aren't females the majority in this nation????? Oh that"s right, I forgot, they aren"t to be taken seriously.

[golfrr]

I agree David show is stupid! I don't understand how he can say let's play along like this is some game that has a correct answer. I can stand the fact that he pick a good topic and ask the talkling heads to respond than moves on to the next (???) I feel a good debate requires 2 sides and you can see that his guest want to do that but he shut them down and go to commercial or the next topic. I think he need to go back to the WH and report on GWB!!!!!!

[littlepuffycloud]

oh great...just what we need; another so-called election show.
Are there any junkies remaining out there that can stand to keep watching the minute by minute polls of Podunk Pennsylvania or Indiana?

[falcao]

Stopped watching MSNBC weeks ago. Unbearable.

CNN also off my radar screen for an even longer period of time.

These outlets offer nothing of substance. Same old guys saying the same old things on an endless stupid loop.

[THISTLE]

I also stopped watching MSNBC weeks ago - you are correct it is "unbearable."
It is a telethon, an infocommercial for St. Obama, the slobbering attack dog Matthews
with the equally disgusting Olbermann who is on his knees to St. Obama.

The New York Times being associated with this group in anyway is outrageous,
no wonder Frank Rich was attacking Hillary Clinton in such a vile and transparent manner,
he was auditioning for MSNBC - where he has been making appearances in the last
few months. Rich has lost all of his credibility, this election has turned into a Reality
show, what a commentary that is on this country.

[OrganicGeorge]

Great, more middle aged white guys, in the upper 2% income bracket, telling us what we should think

Maybe the reason newspapers and broadcast news is dying is the lack of diversity, not just trotting out the occasional woman or minority but educated people who are not inside the news bubble.

Managing editors are rich white guys so we get rich white guy news.

Long live blogs

[MacTheBlogger]

After scanning the posts on this thread, it's clear that there is some confusion between "news" and "commentary/opinion".

"News anchors", whether you like the way they do their job or not, would include "newspeople" like Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Wolf Blitzer. Their task is to present news in an unbiased way, without opinion. Again, whether they do is quite open to debate.

"Commentary/Opinion" would include "pundits" like Matthews, Maddow, Olbermann, Carlson, Joe, Buchanan, O'Reilly, Rush, and about 3,000 others who are paid to provide their biased opinions. Biased opinions are fine, great, interesting, helpful -- but not meant to be fair and/or balanced.

If your argument is that the line has become blurred between "journalism" and opinion, I could not agree more. But complaining that people like O'Reilly or Joe or Andrea Mitchell are not voicing your opinion makes no sense. Not everyone is going to agree with your opinion when expressing theirs. And an opinion is not "The Truth", regardless of what the wild-eyed ideologues say. It's just their opinion. Nothing more.

[zanngra]

I wonder if John Harwood had to sign a contract to bring up Rev. Wright as much as possible before they would alow him to do a show. Last night on Hardball Chris Matthews, who has a form of tourettes syndrome that causes him to blurt out the truth once and awhile, admitted they are still talking about Rev. Wright because their ratings are up. A few weeks ago he said he wondered if the media was trying to imply that this race was close even though it was all but over. YA THINK? I'm sure the higher ups told him to knock off that kind of talk. When Tom Brokaw retired so did their ethics.

[longislandlol]

Olbermann is the King of all- but John Harwood has style, intelligence, fairness, good looks, etc.. let's give him a shot at becomong MSNBC's Prince!

[pdsldl]

We get what we deserve. We keep watching these poor excuses for journalists owned by corporate media. I watch Countdown because it is a commentary show and Olbermann actually lets his guests speak, they don't yell back and forth, there is some humor, and even when I don't agree with him I can see his point. I also watch cable on primary night flipping between CNN and MSNBC to avoid the pundit round tables. As far as the rest, bith network and cable news is not news, but some producers idea of how to be entertaining and get ratings. Journalists have sold out to being showbiz personalities and abandoned their ethical journalistic standards. Until we stop watching the news and their ratings bottom out and demand that they actually investigate stories and present facts instead of slanted opinions by pundits it is never going to change.

[Maddy08]

I also have stopped watching Morning "Arrogant & Inane" Joe; the very biased Andrea Mitchell; out to destroy anyone they don't like Fox News; clearly biased CNN; ABC; and have eliminated most cable news except Countdown. I also agree with a blogger that Chuck Todd, who I used to enjoy watching because of his honesty, has made a 360 degree turn towards becoming just like his fellow reporters.

Joe made a comment last night that I thought showed just how moronic he really is. He predicted that Clinton would win both NC and Indiana and this will teach Obama that he can't campaign "like a Harvard professor." Hey Joe, Obama has more intelligence in his little toe that you'll ever have.

It occurred to me that after this campaign is over and a nominee is chosen, their overall ratings will dramatically decline. It also seems to be that while the cable news stations have been engaged in unfair and biased reporting - that it's going to come back and bite them in the rear after this is all over.

The only true cable news show that has been consistent, fair, and unbiased is Countdown.

[MacTheBlogger]

...

"The only true cable news show that has been consistent, fair, and unbiased is Countdown."

Well, that may be the most incredible post I've ever seen. Countdown is commentary, it's not a "news show". The host of the show has blogged for DailyKos. Insults and name-calling come standard. Frequent contributor Rachel Maddow (with whom the host agrees virtually 100% of the time) is on Air America. The only guests on the show agree with the host, who never interviews a right-winger. Ever.

Countdown certainly has its place, but I can only imagine how far off to the left someone must be to consider it an unbiased news program.

Absolutely freaking amazing.

.

[maribelle1963]

I am a card-carrying "leftie", I watch Countdown everynight, and even I agree it is EXTREMELY biased.

That's why I watch it; you get that lip-smacking liberal bias that has all but disappeared in the conservative takeover of the news.

FWIW, I always watch what passes for more even-handed shows first (Like Newshour with Jim Lehrer) to try to get the "straight" story first before I indulge in watching Keith take on the asshats with his wit and venom.

[THISTLE]

How can you say "Countdown" is fair - when the only guests he has on - are the same ones
over and over again - who AGREE with him. I used to think Keith was the most honest
and intelligent guy on the air, now he is just another on his knees flack/hack for
St. Obama.

[truthbrigade]

I agree with your comment on Joe Goober. Two further questions / comments here: 1) How "it's going to come back and bite them in the rear after this is all over"?; in which way exactly?. 2) Just for clarification: if one makes a 360 degree turn, one ends-up in the same dierction, not opposite!!.

[nolalily]

There's a quote by Jonathan Swift that goes something like, "You may know when a genius is among us as the dunces are all in confederacy against him." That is definately paraphrased, but you get the idea.

[Prolix]

I stopped watching MSNBC when Tweety got his beak in a bunch and while the polling numbers were plainly display on the screen actually said and I kid you not an actual quote here, "Sen. Obama is way out front on this issue with 37% of respondents favorable and Sen. Clinton is way behind at 34%. The people have spoken."

The margin of error was 4% and the poll was over a week old. If only someone had had some Chinese lead-laced corn the bird population would have had a significant uptick in their gene pool.

I vote for putting Tweety in a sound proofed cage encircled with mirrors so that he can see himself in all his preening glory and chirp as loudly as he wants to cover the sound of his bird brain rattling about in his grotesquely huge head. It will be masterbatorial heaven for him until molting season at which time he will promptly commit peckicide.

[KOisGod]

I'd like a show that does full blown conspiricy theories; everything from who killed JFK, did 911, the illuminati, the secret string pullers behind unfolding world events, shadow governments, Nostradamas predictions, 2012 end of world stuff, Atlantis

YOU NAME IT

Maybe MSNBC would do it, the prison shows have had their run -

[ObamaOhio08]

That's a great idea! My neighbor, who dated someone based on the fact that he believed in the Illuminati stuff, would LOVE IT.

I think there should be a show that keeps the MSM honest done by the few media watchdogs out there. Someone needs to put the MSM's feet to the fire. They get away with too much BS. If it wasn't for MSM's blindly following GWB's line in 2002, the Iraq war might never have happened.

[drzoon]

it actually wasn't all that bad.

at least it was more of a nuts and bolts show. not like that freaking HORRIBLE show the Gregory does now. that thing just rots from the head!

[ResidentChimp]

They must think two losers makes a winner.

[plainsman]

That's what the Bushes thought too.

[pkohan]

Is it called "Anonymous Sources?" "March to War: Iran?" "Administration Mouthpiece?" "Specious Claims?" All of the above?