Phil Griffin goes off his own reservation…but he’s right.
Wow. I don’t know what’s more newsworthy, that Mediaite obtained an email from Phil Griffin to a viewer talking about David Shuster in not at all very flattering terms, terms which seem to seriously suggest that Shuster won’t ever appear on MSNBC again, or that Phil Griffin would be so reckless as to put his feelings in writing to an outside entity when he has his PR department trying to keep comment to a minimum. I can understand the need to tell the viewer his reasoning but the risk of that reasoning getting out in the open is just too great, as is all too obvious now.
Setting the question of responding to the emailer aside, I’m totally with the MSNBC President on this one. As Roger Ailes has suggested several times in the past to his staff, and this is a paraphrase, if you’re not with the program you should leave.
Inside Cable News 
April 9, 2010 at 12:53 am
The e-mailer’s right about a lot, too. I like Joe Scarborough, but Mika’s willingness to nod along, pretending she’s not a liberal, is offensive; and having Pat Buchananan on Hardball to debate the Civil War says all that needs to be said about his omnipresence at MSNBC.
April 9, 2010 at 5:08 am
This story is starting to move into BS so silly it’s you can’t take it seriously anymore.
The viewer emails he’s going to boycott MSNBC because they are suspending Shuster. Give me a break. This is something you read all the time on media blogs when a fan favorite gets fired. Where is this supposed left wing news junkie going to get his fix? CNN? FNC? MSNBC viewers are like FOX viewers they like their news delivered with a ideological bias. Silly threats like this make me laugh.
As for Griffin and his reply; it’s just as ridiculous. If this were KO or Maddow I don’t think the response would have been nearly as drastic. Perhaps a face saving apology but a suspension; I don’t think so.
Because there has been no comments, even anonymous ones, from MSNBC or CNN sources except for this, self serving, leaked email, a single line earlier from MSNBC and the original CNN leak. I think all this has been settled internally; (probably Shuster gets paid for the rest of his contract and goes away when it ends) and part of the deal is no one talks.
There is also the fact that no one looks good in this story so keeping it alive doesn’t help either side.
April 9, 2010 at 7:00 am
Mediate Steve Kakaruer
From: Griffin, Phil (NBC Universal)
Sent: Wed 4/07/10 11:16 PM
Sorry, but this is a business and I need team players. He was not moral, ethical or professional and that is not fair to the 500 people who work at msnbc.
Thanks for your note,
Phil
“Sorry but this is a business?
What kind of business is it Phil, that’s the question?
April 9, 2010 at 8:02 am
Why would Griffin even respond to this person? She’s a nut. She doesn’t like Joe or Mika because Joe is a RINO and Mika is a moderate dem. She doesn’t like Buchanan appearing during the day because she doesn’t want to hear any opposing voices. I bet Olberwingnut sent this e-mail.
April 9, 2010 at 8:21 am
She’s a nut.
…because you don’t want to hear any opposing voices.
April 9, 2010 at 8:49 am
MSNBC made a point of changing their format to more Liberal an alternative to Fox News more Conservative format…how is that working out? Is it possible that this was an over simplistic reactionary decision by Phil Griffin? He is the one that refers to MSNBC as a business, and he is making business decisions. Leadership sets the morale and tone at MSNBC so the buck stops with Griffin. It looks like Shuster wants released from MSNBC.
The person writing the email possibly in the frame of mind that Shuster belonged to that type of format he was a good fit. And she can’t wrap her head around, why he would be punished -purged? I have read similar criticism about MSNBC. By leaning Liberal MSNBC is not the same as being purely Liberal. Pat Buchanan, and Joe Scarborough would not be described as Liberals. Some viewers want a kind of “purity” in the cable news outlet’s formats? I don’t think that is a majority of viewers so Griffin has a clue, what the email writer wants.
If there is a market- demand for what Shuster is providing, he will surface on another cable news outlet.
April 9, 2010 at 9:27 am
To clarify my comments about Mika/Pat:
I agree with the e-mailer that Mika acts like a stereotypical “woman in her place” while Her Man is talking, which infuriates me. Just be a liberal and hash it out. Don’t just sit there sighing like an idiot.
I personally like Pat, but agree that they use him as the ‘token conservative’ way too often. He’s not a classic conservative, and has a serious problem when it comes to issues that offend his ‘white victim’ sensibilities, and should not being commenting on race.
April 9, 2010 at 9:54 am
“He was not moral, ethical or professional”
Unlike the “anchor” they had on yesterday Eliot Spitzer.
April 9, 2010 at 10:36 am
Joe:
I like Hannity but don’t watch his show 1/10th as much as when it was Hannity & Colmes. He should have 2 liberals on the Great American Panel. I like debate. If he had 2 libs on there instead of one getting pounded by 3 people, I’d watch every night.
So in response to your response, you’re wrong. I prefer to hear opposing voices.
April 9, 2010 at 10:39 am
“has a serious problem when it comes to issues that offend his ‘white victim’ sensibilities, and should not being commenting on race.” — Joe —
So, since he’s not politically correct, he can’t comment on race. That’s absurd. If anyone should be commenting, it’s him. It’s nauseating listening to group think victimization attitudes.
April 9, 2010 at 2:11 pm
LS, you’re clueless. Not everybody gets a free pass with the ‘I’m not politically correct’ card. The term’s reason for existence is because some people need to stfu.
April 9, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Face it, Joe. You don’t like Pat because he refuses to blame all the ills that fall on every individual minority on “The Man”. It’s a lot easier to just say “racism” and move on. It’s old and tired.
April 9, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Face it, LS, you don’t have a clue what I think. You’re a one-note ideologue, I’m not. I said I like Pat, and enjoy his commentary on many issues, especially free trade, which is destroying this nation’s economy. He has a problem with race issues…and so do you.
April 9, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I suppose all people like me who could care less what color somebody is & who doesn’t use that to form an opinion, ala Chris Mathews, has a problem with race issue. My problem is I’m sicking of people on the left looking at people based on their race. I’m sick of lefties saying everybody who disagrees with Pres. Obama is racist. That’s how the left is. They look at EVERYTHING through the prism of race.
April 9, 2010 at 8:34 pm
You’re big on the generalities, aren’t you son?