MSNBC bringing back Jon Meacham shows 'there is no accountability' in media: Concha
Meacham back on the air is an example of why 'so few people trust' the media, Concha argues
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MSNBC bringing back presidential historian Jon Meacham one week after the network reportedly fired him is an example of why so few people trust the media, the Hill media columnist Joe Concha told “Fox & Friends” on Monday.
Concha, a Fox News contributor, noted that the move shows that people have lost trust in the industry “because there is no accountability.”
Meacham was reportedly let go as an MSNBC contributor after he apparently failed to disclose to the network that he was a speechwriter for President-elect Joe Biden, including the victory speech he gave earlier this month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sources told The New York Times that Meacham had been "playing a larger role than was previously known" behind the scenes, "both writing drafts of speeches and offering edits on many of Mr. Biden’s big addresses, including one he gave at Gettysburg last month and his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention."
Meacham, who publicly endorsed Biden back in March, has long been a go-to analyst for MSNBC. However, the Times also reported that, according to a network source, Meacham would no longer be a paid contributor going forward, but that he would still be welcomed as a guest.
The Times noted that Meacham appeared on MSNBC following Biden's victory speech without any disclosure that he was heavily involved in the crafting of the president-elect's address.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” welcomed him back, with host Mika Brzezinski introducing him as a “historian” and “an unofficial adviser to President-elect Joe Biden.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Concha noted that he was “blown away” by the fact that Meacham appeared on MSNBC so quickly.
“Jon Meacham spoke at George H.W. Bush's eulogy, for example, so he is painted as bipartisan,” Concha noted. “Well, it was revealed last week that he was actually writing speeches for Joe Biden throughout his campaign and then going on the air afterward without telling anybody, mind you, and saying ‘Oh, you know, that was a great speech, particularly when he quoted Martin Luther King, I really thought that was very, very poignant and powerful.’”
“Meanwhile he’s the guy who wrote the speech,” he continued. “So MSNBC then takes his contributorship away. They say, ‘OK, we’re not going to pay you anymore.’”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Concha said, “You would think that would be the last you would see of Jon Meacham on the air for a while.”
“Oh no, he was on this morning doing what he does best, praising Joe Biden while bashing President Trump,” Concha continued, adding that journalism has been moving toward “activism and this is why so few people trust this industry anymore.”
MSNBC has yet to publicly address the controversy and did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Concha brought up the Meacham example on Monday reacting to staff writer Caitlan Flanagan of The Atlantic magazine going on a tear against the "biased" mainstream media during a panel discussion Friday night on “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Flanagan stressed that the media has to “be a little less partisan.”
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On Monday Concha reacted to Flanagan’s appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” saying, “that was some great analysis, probably the best I have seen all year.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.