NBC News has recently made the decision to drop former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel from her role as a paid contributor, following objections from NBC and MSNBC journalists. The decision was announced by Cesar Conde, NBCUniversal Group chairman, in an email to staff. After receiving concerns from team members, Conde decided that McDaniel will not continue as an NBC News contributor. This decision was supported by some members of the leadership team, and Conde has taken full responsibility for it. McDaniel’s hiring was announced on Friday, shortly after she stepped down as head of the RNC. However, network hosts and personalities, such as Joe Scarborough, Jen Psaki, Nicolle Wallace, and Rachel Maddow, protested the decision and urged the network to reconsider.
Nicolle Wallace expressed on air that hiring McDaniel sends a message to election deniers that they can spread misinformation on NBC’s platforms as a paid contributor. Rachel Maddow also criticized the decision, calling it inexplicable and hoped that NBC News would reverse it. MSNBC staff reportedly expressed outrage over McDaniel’s hiring, prompting the network’s executives to reconsider. McDaniel has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and defended his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. She also supported urging GOP canvassers in Michigan not to sign the state’s certification of the election results in November 2020.
Ronna McDaniel became RNC chair in 2017, the year Trump took office, and held the position until recently stepping down to allow Trump’s chosen team to take over. This included Michael Whatley being voted in as national chairman and Lara Trump as co-chair. McDaniel was initially favored by Trump but fell out of favor as she was blamed for GOP losses in recent elections. After the new leadership took over, the RNC underwent layoffs to streamline and eliminate redundancies between the campaign and the RNC. Over 60 staffers were reportedly let go as part of this effort to restructure the organization. These changes came as Trump solidified his status as the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
The decision to drop Ronna McDaniel as a contributor came after days of backlash from NBC and MSNBC journalists, prompting NBC News to reconsider her hiring. The network received concerns from team members and, based on the recommendations of some leaders, decided that McDaniel will no longer contribute to NBC News. Network hosts, including Joe Scarborough, Jen Psaki, Nicolle Wallace, and Rachel Maddow, used their platforms to protest the decision to hire McDaniel and urged NBC to rethink their choice. The decision to drop McDaniel was met with support from many within the network who felt that her presence would not align with the values of NBC News.
NBC’s hiring and subsequent dropping of Ronna McDaniel sparked controversy due to her support for Donald Trump and involvement in promoting election fraud theories. Her defense of Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, as well as her role in urging GOP canvassers not to certify election results, raised concerns among NBC and MSNBC journalists and staff. The decision to let McDaniel go as a contributor reflects the importance of upholding journalistic integrity and values within the network, as the presence of a figure like McDaniel was seen as conflicting with these principles. Overall, the situation serves as a reminder of the delicate balance networks must navigate when hiring contributors with political affiliations that may not align with their editorial standards.
