What's Happening at MSNBC ????

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magpens

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I am curious if anyone knows what is happening at MSNBC . com . . . . .

I like to follow the USA news and had been doing so quite avidly for several years by viewing the MSNBC website.
I really enjoyed the highly organized news presentation by several "hosts" covering multiple subjects every day, on time reliably, etc., etc.

But approximately a year ago, everything went to pot and gradually descended into a state of "utter chaos" (my assessment).

No longer can I watch/listen to presentations on a variety of newsworthy topics every weekday by my favorite presenters Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Brian Williams, Chris Hayes, Ari Melber, and others.

Now it is hard to even get access to those very competent and talented reporters. . Yes, they are all still working there but their reports, instead of being organized, nicely and systematically, their reports seem to have been cut back drastically and randomized as to date and time and no longer pertain very well to each day's events. . . And it is hard to sequence what few reports I can find.

Previously, you could follow the reporting of each one, from subject to subject, and from day to day. . But not any longer. . It's lucky if you can find, in a systematic way, a report which any of them has presented recently.

And another thing . . . whereas previously their reports each had their own unique URL link that you could record for future reference . . . unique for each date . . . now the reports seem to be jumbled up under a generic URL and you cannot count on any continuity or sequencing of any kind.

It is hard to describe the changes that have occurred.

I am just wondering if anyone here has come to rely on MSNBC reporting like I have, and who has experienced the drastic changes over the last 10 months or so.

I would like to know what has taken place at MSNBC, and why it might have occurred.

And . . . . I'd also like to know a contact address at MSNBC where I could lodge a complaint about my huge disappointment over this period of time.

If anyone can relate to what I am describing I would greatly appreciate your comments, please.
 
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Mortalis

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The main stream news oriented broadcasts are so polarized these days I cant stand to watch or hear what they have to say. I watch local news for weather, that's really about it.
MSNBC is as bad with their content as CNN is and they are as polarized as they get. They just know how to hide their favoritism better but not by much.
And I'm just going leave that at that.
 

leehljp

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Well, without getting political, their ratings have dropped considerably across each presenter as polarizing opinions seem to have replaced objective news reporting, and as a result, many viewers noticed similar traits that you have. Now there is a "scrambling" to find a connection with viewers, i.e. the disorganization that you noticed.

Also, there is a huge amount of important news that is NOT reported there - that most USA citizens know that IS going on, but they are not covering even in one sentence.
 
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jcm71

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Mal, on our side of the 49th parallel MSNBC is not very highly regarded as evidenced by its ratings. Simply put it is not considered to be an impartial news source. Most of themain stream media is viewed the same way. They only "report" one side of a story. Those that don't fit their world view are not reported on at all. I'll not recommend a news source for you, however, I suggest you do your own research on what news source in the US has the highest ratings and is considered the most impartial, and go from there. I guarantee you it is not MSNBC.
 

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crokett

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MSNBC does not report news. It gives opinion pieces on events and calls it news. Unfortunately all of the mainstream media at least in the U.S, does this and each outlet skews heavily in one political direction or another. As others have said, a lot of Americans have noticed this and ratings for a lot of the mainstream outlets has suffered because of it.

Local news is also for the most part not local. The network affiliates are owned by large companies that own affiliates in many different cities. Talking points and how stories are reported especially for national events are distributed. If you don't believe me, there are lots of examples of this on Youtube and/or the next time you travel turn on the local news for your city and then stream the local news from your hometown. Chances are much better than not that the slogans/theme music, etc will be the same, and the story lineups will be the same across at least one station where you are and one back home.
 

TonyL

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They have nothing to lose. I would like to dump all MS products too.

They all have an agenda; MSNBC barely starts with seeds of any truth.

CSPAN can be somewhat objective.

CNN would not have any ratings if they weren't in every airport.
 
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My problem with most news programs on TV are they spend more time "previewing" what they're going to tell you than the do telling you the news.... I know it was years back, but the last time I was in Trinidad on a business trip, I sat in a restaurant bar and watched their news program.... the commentator did not offer any opinion, she just sat and read the news.... of late our news programs are no long news programs, they are opinion programs.... just tell me what's happening and I'll form my own opinion.

News programs have shifted over to being entertainment rather than journalism.
 

monophoto

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Before I retired, I was an engineering consultant who specialized in electric power applications. Back in the 1990s, I had some engagements with a couple of the major networks that allowed me to have some visibility into what went on behind the scenes.

I recall having lunch one day with a network person who said that they viewed news program as 'advertisement delivery vehicles'.

I think that explains a lot. If you look carefully at a typical news broadcast, something in excess of 20% of the time is spent on commercials selling products/services that are specifically targeted at the over-50 demographic.. That's because younger folks don't watch news broadcasts on TV.

I can understand commercials selling over-the-counter products such as toothpaste. What I don't understand is commercials pushing prescription medications with unpronounceable names that treat diseases that (as far as I can tell) relatively few people have.
 

KMCloonan

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We don't watch MSNBC. In fact, with the polarized news, and the constant stream of shootings (in Chicago), where we see an almost identical scene every night of heartbroken parents crying on camera because their child was shot & killed, we are less and less likely to watch any news. I read the local paper every morning, and it seems to be somewhat balanced. Still covers the stories, but without the hyperbole.
 

jttheclockman

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Have to agree with everything that was said here. Today there is a station for whatever you want to hear or want to believe. Politics have gotten so bad and are infiltrated in everything we do and everything that goes on today. It really is disgusting and we are heading down the wrong path. News outlets are just fueling the fire. I turn on the news to see what the weather is going to be and that has become a guess thing today with all the sophisticated equipment there is. Not much good tv these days so might as well stay in the shop and make some pens.
 

TonyL

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Have to agree with everything that was said here. Today there is a station for whatever you want to hear or want to believe. Politics have gotten so bad and are infiltrated in everything we do and everything that goes on today. It really is disgusting and we are heading down the wrong path. News outlets are just fueling the fire. I turn on the news to see what the weather is going to be and that has become a guess thing today with all the sophisticated equipment there is. Not much good tv these days so might as well stay in the shop and make some pens.
1000% agreed.
 

TonyL

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Still better than Faux News. . . .
List what is faux and what and how the other outlets got it right. Just 3 or 4 examples would be great. He is your chance to enlighten me/us. I will not refute you. I want to learn. I have asked this dozens of times. You can be the first to give me an answer. Would love to hear what you think. I respect your intellect. Thanks!
 

guitarchitect

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Mal, on our side of the 49th parallel MSNBC is not very highly regarded as evidenced by its ratings. Simply put it is not considered to be an impartial news source. Most of themain stream media is viewed the same way. They only "report" one side of a story. Those that don't fit their world view are not reported on at all. I'll not recommend a news source for you, however, I suggest you do your own research on what news source in the US has the highest ratings and is considered the most impartial, and go from there. I guarantee you it is not MSNBC.
I agree, PBS is way better!
 

Brian G

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Mal, I can't answer your question about the organization of the website you referenced. Nobody else could, either, I guess.

What the rest of the comments did was confirm a few things I've come to understand about participants on this website, much to the detriment of IAP.

Largely contributes to my diminished participation.
 

TonyL

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Classic response. Folks, don't like or disagree with something, and flee (find a group that reinforces their beliefs ....at one time was world was though to be flat). Some say they want discourse. Friendly discourse is invited, and no answer.

If folks can't have a conversation about it and truly listen to another side with the only intent to enlighten; not to persuade or disparage, there will always be division due to lack of a desire to understand. If one disagree, the opposing cries all sorts of unfounded truth about one's character.

We don't need to politicians or news to divide us. We were already divided given our intolerance for anyone who disagrees. The politicians and MSM simply found a way to tap into it. I guess everyone knows anything and can't ever learning anything. I know that I know nothing for sure. I can always learn something.
 

magpens

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THANKS TO ALL WHO REPLIED . . . . . BUT . . . . .

I had hoped that the discussion would not get political.

I tried to steer my original question so that it would not elicit political opinions.

I OBVIOUSLY FAILED to ask the question in the "right" way.

But I acknowledged the difficulty right from the start . . . so perhaps the nature of the replies (in general) was to be expected.

MY INTENT WAS TO GET AT THE ORGANIZATION OF THE WEBSITE PRESENTATIONS . . . . NOT THE CONTENT . . . .

NOT THE CONTENT !!!!! . . . . IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POLARIZATION, one way or the other. . . . I had/have no political intentions.

But . . obviously . . I did not make that sufficiently clear . .

WE SHOULD DROP THE SUBJECT.

Thanks
 

leehljp

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An interesting happening for me, when I lived in Tokyo back in the early '90s: I had to travel by train to a neighboring town within Tokyo that I didn't't travel to often. As I got there, I saw a well known acquaintance with a group of people. He called me over and told me they were about to have a protest march against a politician who had misspoken greatly (and I agreed he had). I asked when they were going to march, and he said, when the CNN TV crew got there. I stayed and watched; the crew arrived told the group what to do, they marched in circle for about 2 minutes, it was recorded, the marchers put their banners up and everyone went home. It was a well organized staging, even if it was for a good cause back then. But it wasn't real.
 

Madman1978

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List what is faux and what and how the other outlets got it right. Just 3 or 4 examples would be great. He is your chance to enlighten me/us. I will not refute you. I want to learn. I have asked this dozens of times. You can be the first to give me an answer. Would love to hear what you think. I respect your intellect. Thanks!
I chose some from the last year. There were so many to show. Now, I am sure you will
have something to say in a reply. Quite honestly, you will be wrong. Below are a few of
their lies. Straight up LIES! Faux News uses whatever they can to scare you. Yes, most news is scary,
why I never watch it. During the Reagan years, they remove the regulation that News
has to be truthful. Faux News takes that to heart. Now, admittedly they lie.
All of them lie, bend, twist, the words to make their point. The 3 below
are just the top of the mess.



Tucker Carlson -The worst of the bunch
"In Texas, the power companies have automatically raised the temperature of people's thermostats in the middle of a heatwave without their permission."
"Federal agents directly incited people on Jan. 6, 2021, and "intentionally entrapped" American citizens.
"Jan. 6 is being used as a pretext to strip millions of Americans, disfavored Americans, of their core constitutional rights."

Hannity - Not sure why he still has a job
"The Trump administration has had "zero unfulfilled equipment and supply requests from state governors."

Ingraham - she might want to just put the hood on.
"There was no real scientific basis for believing that" social distancing would be necessary, "since it had never been studied."

And of course this mess from Laura!
 

Mortalis

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Mal, I can't answer your question about the organization of the website you referenced. Nobody else could, either, I guess.

What the rest of the comments did was confirm a few things I've come to understand about participants on this website, much to the detriment of IAP.

Largely contributes to my diminished participation.
Question was what is happening at MSNBC.com
Answer is they only cover "The Agenda"
Reason for their downgrade: IMO, The majority of America does not agree with "The Agenda"

I believe that is what everyone that has replied to this thread has implicated without being brutally honest.
 

Madman1978

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News will never be the same. Men like Walter Cronkite are not in the news business any longer. it's all about two things, ratings, and money!
 

leehljp

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Classic response. Folks, don't like or disagree with something, and flee (find a group that reinforces their beliefs ....at one time was world was though to be flat). Some say they want discourse. Friendly discourse is invited, and no answer.

If folks can't have a conversation about it and truly listen to another side with the only intent to enlighten; not to persuade or disparage, there will always be division due to lack of a desire to understand. If one disagree, the opposing cries all sorts of unfounded truth about one's character.

We don't need to politicians or news to divide us. We were already divided given our intolerance for anyone who disagrees. The politicians and MSM simply found a way to tap into it. I guess everyone knows anything and can't ever learning anything. I know that I know nothing for sure. I can always learn something.
Tony, I tell my girls and friends, I don't like being "right" even when I am, I want to know WHAT is right. It isn't about me, it is about WHAT IS right. Don't flee from the truth that comes through discussion.
 
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I can understand commercials selling over-the-counter products such as toothpaste. What I don't understand is commercials pushing prescription medications with unpronounceable names that treat diseases that (as far as I can tell) relatively few people have.
It's getting to the point we don't need doctors except to "talk to" to get a prescription for whatever you think ails you.... we're getting all our doctoring/medical advice from TV any more.

We don't watch MSNBC. In fact, with the polarized news, and the constant stream of shootings (in Chicago), where we see an almost identical scene every night of heartbroken parents crying on camera because their child was shot & killed, we are less and less likely to watch any news. I read the local paper every morning, and it seems to be somewhat balanced. Still covers the stories, but without the hyperbole.
I miss the morning news paper... we don't have one here int TP... Sunday mornings I used to get a cup of coffee, get up into the middle of the bed and go through the newspaper front to back... I would rather read news than hear it on TV.
 

egnald

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I always found this compilation very interesting how there is a unified narrative across the country when it comes to news. (Note that this is CBS, ABC, FOX, etc. etc.)
Long gone are the days when reporters had the integrity to report only confirmed stories and commentary was clearly labeled as commentary. I always found it refreshing when traveling abroad to listen to the World News as even the "World News" as reported from the US broadcasting system is mostly US stories and is in my opinion politically slanted just like the US networks are. The World News as reported in Europe and the Middle East actually has newsworthy stories about what is going on in other countries! - Dave
 

TonyL

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I chose some from the last year. There were so many to show. Now, I am sure you will
have something to say in a reply. Quite honestly, you will be wrong. Below are a few of
their lies. Straight up LIES! Faux News uses whatever they can to scare you. Yes, most news is scary,
why I never watch it. During the Reagan years, they remove the regulation that News
has to be truthful. Faux News takes that to heart. Now, admittedly they lie.
All of them lie, bend, twist, the words to make their point. The 3 below
are just the top of the mess.



Tucker Carlson -The worst of the bunch
"In Texas, the power companies have automatically raised the temperature of people's thermostats in the middle of a heatwave without their permission."
"Federal agents directly incited people on Jan. 6, 2021, and "intentionally entrapped" American citizens.
"Jan. 6 is being used as a pretext to strip millions of Americans, disfavored Americans, of their core constitutional rights."

Hannity - Not sure why he still has a job
"The Trump administration has had "zero unfulfilled equipment and supply requests from state governors."

Ingraham - she might want to just put the hood on.
"There was no real scientific basis for believing that" social distancing would be necessary, "since it had never been studied."

And of course this mess from Laura!
Thank you Michael. I said I wouldn't refute you. I have no desire to. I just want to learn. I appreciate the feedback. Thx!
 

KenB259

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I am curious if anyone knows what is happening at MSNBC . com . . . . .

I like to follow the USA news and had been doing so quite avidly for several years by viewing the MSNBC website.
I really enjoyed the highly organized news presentation by several "hosts" covering multiple subjects every day, on time reliably, etc., etc.

But approximately a year ago, everything went to pot and gradually descended into a state of "utter chaos" (my assessment).

No longer can I watch/listen to presentations on a variety of newsworthy topics every weekday by my favorite presenters Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Brian Williams, Chris Hayes, Ari Melber, and others.

Now it is hard to even get access to those very competent and talented reporters. . Yes, they are all still working there but their reports, instead of being organized, nicely and systematically, their reports seem to have been cut back drastically and randomized as to date and time and no longer pertain very well to each day's events. . . And it is hard to sequence what few reports I can find.

Previously, you could follow the reporting of each one, from subject to subject, and from day to day. . But not any longer. . It's lucky if you can find, in a systematic way, a report which any of them has presented recently.

And another thing . . . whereas previously their reports each had their own unique URL link that you could record for future reference . . . unique for each date . . . now the reports seem to be jumbled up under a generic URL and you cannot count on any continuity or sequencing of any kind.

It is hard to describe the changes that have occurred.

I am just wondering if anyone here has come to rely on MSNBC reporting like I have, and who has experienced the drastic changes over the last 10 months or so.

I would like to know what has taken place at MSNBC, and why it might have occurred.

And . . . . I'd also like to know a contact address at MSNBC where I could lodge a complaint about my huge disappointment over this period of time.

If anyone can relate to what I am describing I would greatly appreciate your comments, please.
 

Dale Parrott

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The IAP used to be my go to place to learn and listen different opinions when I needed to escape today's current events. Looks like it's time to find another place to hang my hat. I don't need this.
 

monophoto

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THANKS TO ALL WHO REPLIED . . . . . BUT . . . . .

I had hoped that the discussion would not get political.

I tried to steer my original question so that it would not elicit political opinions.

I OBVIOUSLY FAILED to ask the question in the "right" way.

But I acknowledged the difficulty right from the start . . . so perhaps the nature of the replies (in general) was to be expected.

MY INTENT WAS TO GET AT THE ORGANIZATION OF THE WEBSITE PRESENTATIONS . . . . NOT THE CONTENT . . . .

NOT THE CONTENT !!!!! . . . . IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POLARIZATION, one way or the other. . . . I had/have no political intentions.

But . . obviously . . I did not make that sufficiently clear . .

WE SHOULD DROP THE SUBJECT.

Thanks
Understand your frustration. I suspect that the reaction your question triggered reflects the wider discontent that most people have about what is happening in our world today.

But to answer your question more directly, it seems to me that it is often the case that the whole objective of reorganizing a web site is to make it difficult for frequent visitors to find the one thing that they look at frequently, and instead force them to spend more time searching the site and hopefully stumbling over some other thing that the site developer/owner is pushing. Some of the tracking algorithms follow users from one site to another also track how long the user remains on the site,. Later, that algorithm can use that information to assign weights to the users interests as part of directing advertising embedded on those sites.

Sort of like a supermarket.. If you know where the beer is, you can find it quickly and be on your way. But if they rearrange the store, they force you to have to search for the beer, and just maybe you will pass by the potato chips and buy a few bags.

I used to be involved with a web site that was used by people around the world. One of my frustrations was that the site developer would make changes in how the site functioned that suggested to me that the developer didn't actually understand how it was being used. So another possibility is that the site has been updated by someone whose approach to organizing information is different from what you are accustomed to.
 
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