On Friday’s Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski confronted Danny Shea, Huffington Post Editorial Director, over his liberal website’s decision to cover Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in its entertainment section rather than in politics.
After Brzezinski told Shea that his website “made a mistake,” the Huffington Post editor attempted to justify why they cover the GOP frontrunner as entertainment: [O]ur big statement is that Donald Trump is not a serious candidate, he's an entertainer.”
Mika shot back and stressed that media outlets like Huffington Post “can’t do that” and decide on their own who is a “serious candidate” with Joe Scarborough agreeing that Trump was “in first place by a mile in Iowa, in New Hampshire , in South Carolina. Republican establishment members are now starting to say this guy may be the nominee.”
Shea continued to defend his website’s editorial decision to dismiss the GOP frontrunner and compared his coverage to that of the missing Malaysian airliner:
Yeah, and Bernie Sanders may or may not be in first place in New Hampshire but Mika has to go to C-SPAN to watch coverage of him. Because of Donald Trump’s celebrity, he is getting this perpetuating nonstop wall to wall coverage that is no different honestly than when CNN went wall to wall on Malaysia.
Brzezinski rejected Shea’s explanation and pointed out that in the past the Huffington Post has covered other celebrities who sought public office in their politics section rather than entertainment:
How about an a-list Hollywood actress who had never run for office who is considering a Senate campaign. You’ve covered that. Not in your entertainment pages, right? How about Ashley Judd on HuffPost Politics in 2014? And how about a businessman and pizza mogul who had the 999 plan whose never run for president and was known for some great quotes that surely would be entertainment, right?
Later in the segment the Morning Joe host continued her relentless criticism of the liberal website by wondering “why did you put the rent is too damn high guy on your politics page?” Shea attempted to argue that the fringe New York politician was “not a celebrity side show entertainer, reality candidate” to which Brzezinski laughed and proclaimed “That's not entertainment? Danny!”
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
August 21, 2015
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: It’s Danny Shea, Huffington Post editorial director. Put your mic on, thank you. Alright, so we need to talk about this. Because I think you guys have made a mistake.
DANNY SHEA: Yeah. So I mean nobody can deny that Donald Trump is partly where he is in the polls because of the media coverage. And our big statement is that Donald Trump is not a serious candidate, he's an entertainer.
BRZEZINSKI: But you can't do that. But you along with the Huffington Post Washington bureau chief Ryan Grimm, you wrote last month explaining your decision not to cover the campaign of Donald Trump as part of your political coverage and this is what you said. You said “Trump's campaign is a side show. We won't take the bait. If you're interested in what the Donald has to say, you'll find it next to our stories next to the Kardashians and the Bachelorette.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Except, Danny, he's in first place by a mile in Iowa, in New Hampshire , in South Carolina. Republican establishment members are now starting to say this guy may be the nominee.
SHEA: Yeah, and Bernie Sanders may or may not be in first place in New Hampshire but Mika has to go to C-SPAN to watch coverage of him. Because of Donald Trump’s celebrity, he is getting this perpetuating nonstop wall to wall coverage that is no different honestly than when CNN went wall to wall on Malaysia.
BRZEZINSKI: All right. But hold on. Following that logic, let's say there was like a former comedian and performer for Saturday Night Live who never held political office who is running for the Senate. Huff Post would cover that as entertainment, right? Al Franken, his Senate run.
DONNY DEUTSCH: How about Ronald Reagan.
BRZEZINSKI: How about an a-list Hollywood actress who had never run for office who is considering a Senate campaign. You’ve covered that. Not in your entertainment pages, right? How about Ashley Judd on Huff Post politics in 2014? And how about a businessman and pizza mogul who had the 999 plan whose never run for president and was known for some great quotes that surely would be entertainment, right?
SHEA: Sure but remember when you ripped up the Paris Hilton script and lit it on fire?
BRZEZINSKI: Yes.
SHEA: We’re at a similar moment. It was an amazing moment.
BRZEZINSKI: You think you should rip up the Trump script?
SHEA: You were the heroine of a media moment and you said enough already! And we're saying the exact same thing. We’re saying that we will not participate in this sort of legitimacy of a fringe candidate who doesn't even believe that Obama was born in the United States. And to give him the coverage, to legitimatize him time and time again only perpetuates the legitimacy of a side show.
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BRZEZINSKI: Danny, why did you put the rent is too damn high guy on your politics page?
SHEA: The rent is too damn high guy is not a celebrity side show entertainer, reality candidate.
BRZEZINSKI: That's not entertainment? Danny!
