Journalism! MSNBC Cuts Off Congresswoman Talking About NSA To Get To 'Breaking News' About Justin Bieber

from the priorities dept

Fri, Jan 24th 2014 9:50am — Mike Masnick

If you haven't yet, you should watch this 25-second clip of MSNBC "reporter" Andrea Mitchell cutting off Congresswoman Jane Harman just as she was explaining why the government needs to end the Section 215 bulk phone records collection program that spies on all Americans... in order to rush to cover the "breaking news" of Justin Bieber's court appearance live. Yes, apparently, making sure they cover Bieber's bond hearing live is more important than discussing the US government surveilling every American illegally. Of course, an argument can be made that this is what the American public wants, though that's partly because the cable news programs have learned since the OJ era that nothing gets viewers like covering a high profile court case to an extreme level.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: andrea mitchell, cable news, jane harman, journalism, justin bieber, msnbc, nsa, section 215, sensationalism
Companies: nbc universal

54 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Violynne (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 9:04am

MSNBC. CNN. Fox.

Calling any of them journalists is an insult to journalism.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
silverscarcat (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 9:06am

Urgh...
Seriously, MSNBC?

This is why no one takes you seriously as a news organization. Even Fox News isn't THAT bad, and they're horrid!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Shadow Dragon (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:13am
  
  Re: Urgh...
  That's why I get the news from other sources
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:50am
    
    Re: Re: Urgh...
    Torrents?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - justok (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 1:00pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Urgh...
      Internet Archive
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
quawonk, 24 Jan 2014 @ 9:57am

Hey! Over here! Look over here. Not over there, over here! This is what your attention should be focused on! Hey! HEY! You're looking away! Look HERE and only here from now on! Good, good! That's a good American. OK, you can go back to sleep now..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Mason Wheeler (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:47am
  
  Re:
  Look at this celebrity going to court. Now back to me. Now look at this paparazzi photo. Now, back to me! I am the reporter your reporter should smell like... and I am on a horse!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- art guerrilla (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:56am
  
  Re:
  uh huh, *exactly* the purpose the infotainment machine is to be used for...
  
  in *some* ways, it is *not* that faux news, msnbc, etc are big fat liars (though they can resort to that), and its not only that their reportage is bullshit he said/she said idiocy (although that is a problem), it is what they DON'T cover that is the biggest problem...
  
  if you are a 'normal' citizen and semi-rely on tee vee news to get an idea of what is what, you will be SEVERELY crippled in that goal by the near total lack of substantive and salient news that affects your life...
  
  celebrity bullshit ? ? ? tons...
  disaster stories ? ? ? no prob...
  cat-stuck-in-a-tree ? ? ? we'll have a news chopper there...
  sports, gossip, and moronic, 'funny' chatter among the newsdroids ? ? ? all there...
  
  but serious, ongoing, dogged, actual REPORTING that has meaning to us ? ? ? not in the lamestream media, bunky...
  
  welcome to korporate-kontrolled media, citizen...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:02am

MSNBC. The Obama Channel.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
JT, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:09am

pfffffff
Journalosing? is that what this is?

Wait, does this mean that they beliebe that the NSA is less important than 'celebrity' gossip?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:19am
  
  Re: pfffffff
  "Wait, does this mean that they beliebe that the NSA is less important than 'celebrity' gossip?"
  
  No, but I'd lay odds that's exactly what they want us to believe.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:14am

Journalists have confused that which interests the public and that which is in the public interest. The first is easy to serve, the second takes much more work to explain things to the public in a way that will hold the publics attention.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymoose, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:16am

Fortunately no such nonsense from PBS, BBC or Al Jazeera.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2014 @ 4:45am
  
  Re:
  Better, but still not that different. _Especially_ in the case of the BBC..
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

out_of_the_blue, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:18am

Journalism! Mike completely ignores items like this:
Google's Eric Schmidt denies knowledge of NSA data tapping of firm

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/21/google-eric-schmidt-nsa-tapping-knowledge

UK.go v to Google: Kill impostor taxmen ADs hogging top spot in YOUR search results

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/24/ukgov_to_google_suffocate_imposter_taxmen_found_on_yo ur_search_engine/

There is no such thing as a metaphysically valid distribution of the pie... [The Rich don't intrinsically deserve getting so much.] (@ 17:35) from http://tarpley.net/audio/WCR-20131221.mp3

06:17:23[h-290-5]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:18am

Just be thankful there was a low-speed chase and standoff...you wouldn't a word about the NSA again.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
artp (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:19am

Justin Bieber appeared in court?
Can't he get a job singing anyplace else?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- s7, 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:55am
  
  Re: Justin Bieber appeared in court?
  From what I understand he was singing like a canary. Ratting out both himself and everyone around him.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
jackn, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:19am

You're off topic again. have a report.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:27am

In case of logic-defying events like MSNBC's...
Step 1: Raise palm.

Step 2: Aim palm towards face.

Step 3: Place palm on face, covering both eyes if possible, and press real hard.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- E., 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:13am
  
  Re: In case of logic-defying events like MSNBC's...
  Seconded. That moment is definitely worth a facepalm.
  
  Seriously, Justin Bieber is MORE important than talking about what the NSA is up to? Wow. Talk about messed up priorities imo.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:38am

An additional report for that one continually off topic.

Congratulations MSNBC, you've done your part for driving people away from national broadcast news, along with the rest of the news crowd. This is why no one is paying you any attention. Most of us have come to the realization that your excuse for news doesn't cut it. No one but the teenagers are interested in Bieber and damn few of them. If you haven't heard yet, Bieber is very close to being out totally.

You keep dishing your news out that way. I can promise I won't be one of the ones watching your show, not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- SlamItAll, 24 Jan 2014 @ 8:06pm
  
  Re: Just another "news" day
  Any time I hear about celebrity anything on a supposed news channel, I immediately CLICK! and turn it OFF.
  
  Don't want it, don't need it, ain't gonna bother with it. Just don't care about such useless nonsense.
  
  But the Bozo Squads in the newsrooms are apparently oblivious to what is really important, so it comes as no surprise that such a scenario as msnbc pulled would occur.
  
  Things just get more ridiculous by the day.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:39am

who the hell gives a fuck what happens to that obnoxious, jumped up little twat?

no one it seems, except MSNBC!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:40am

GG
ROFL!! No way! Not even out_of_the_blew can troll like that bitch.

Legend
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- crade (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:21am
  
  Re: GG
  Why not? Here I'll help him
  
  "It's all because of the giant Google conspiracy! Google is the root of all evil pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, look over there at Google etc etc"
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:52am

Correction, ex-congresswoman
Correction Mike, Congresswoman Jane Harman isn't in congress anymore. She resigned from it in February 2011.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Harman
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 10:56am

"Journalism"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:14am

did they cut back to her after covering this top impact news?
Or was this a ploy to get her off the air?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oblate (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:18am

What's really shocking
To me the most surprising part of this is that MSNBC was actually covering real news like the NSA story in the first place. That they would cut away from real news to cover that tripe- no surprise at all.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:20am

If you haven't yet, read this article written by TechDirt "reporter" Mike Masnick cutting off his coverage of why we need to end the Section 215 bulk phone records collection program that spies on all Americans... in order to rush to cover the "breaking news" of MSNBC "reporter" Andrea Mitchell cutting off Congresswoman Jane Harman just as she was explaining why the government needs to end the Section 215 bulk phone records collection program that spies on all Americans... in order to rush to cover the "breaking news" of Justin Bieber's court appearance live.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- crade (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:24am
  
  Re:
  You should also read this comment by AC who cut off his comments on the articles covering the need to end of Section 215 in order to comment on mike commenting on MSNBC commenting on Justin Beiber's (Canadian, automatically more important) court appearance
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- PaulT (profile), 25 Jan 2014 @ 4:35am
  
  Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jan 24th, 2014 @ 11:20am
  "read this article written by TechDirt "reporter" Mike Masnick "
  
  Mike claimed to be a reporter? Or are you so stupid that you can't tell the difference between a blogger commenting on a news story and actual journalism?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:50am

How low can you go?
This is why they lost roughly half their audience. It's like they're trying to lose the other half.

No wonder Old Media feels threatened by the Internet. Not only are they unwilling to compete, but it also looks like they can't compete period and should just give up while they're still behind.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 11:51am

Bieber for President??
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
dparadis (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 2:25pm

Jane Harman
While this is a good commentary on the sorry state of journamalism, I can't imagine that Jane Harman had anything intelligent to add to a discussion of the NSA. She's been their shill for years and made mountains off cash off GWOT and the iron triangle.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 2:52pm

Sad, Just sad.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
AricTheRed (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 2:58pm

Can't comment now,
must get back to watching the Beebeer drama unfold live...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 3:40pm

Oh I get it, the journalist is a dog, and Justin Beiber is a squirrel.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 3:57pm
  
  Re:
  Pretty much.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 4:11pm

What we can expect next....
CBS will devote an entire episode of 60 minutes to the Justin Bieber case in a desperate attempt to regain viewership lost to flushing their credibility down the toilet when they ran John Miller's piece "inside the NSA" and then subsequently trying to defend it, further flushing their credibility down the toilet. When asked about this flushing a top level executive at CBS will remark, "We follow very closely the trends into today's broadcast news marketplace and consistently strive to stay on the cutting edge of what is important to our audience."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 4:17pm

Tip for MSNBC
Don't hire producers who think MTV News is the pinnacle of cutting edge journalism. It hurts your credibility.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- John Fenderson (profile), 24 Jan 2014 @ 6:39pm
  
  Re: Tip for MSNBC
  In the television news business these days, MTV News might actually be the pinnacle of cutting edge journalism.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 25 Jan 2014 @ 7:16am
    
    Re: Re: Tip for MSNBC
    Where is that Sad but True button when you need it?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2014 @ 4:51am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Tip for MSNBC
      I think it got completely worn out from so much use lately...
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 4:41pm

I used to get my news from Google, I now depend on European sites, excluding the BBC.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jan 2014 @ 5:00pm

What else do you need to believe that the government and the media are 69ing all day.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 25 Jan 2014 @ 7:15am

Is there any wonder then that MSNBC is at the bottom of cable news ratings?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 25 Jan 2014 @ 7:59am

I thought journalism didn't exist in the United States.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
btrussell (profile), 25 Jan 2014 @ 4:23pm

http://www.break.com/video/justin-bieber-court-apperance-2567378

Conan with the truth.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Annas Malik, 26 Jan 2014 @ 8:48pm

Journalism
We have the same problem here in Australia (News fed from the US) where our morning commercial stations spend 50% of their news broadcasting time discussing JB's recent drag racing conviction and had nothing to say about Syria, Ukraine or any of the other disasters in the world. It's not their fault they only feed you what their given. They have no budget to do any real journalism. That's why more and more are seeking their news from alternative sources such as Al Jazeera or RT. The end of the world could start and most Americans wouldn't even know it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Niall (profile), 28 Jan 2014 @ 4:39am
  
  Re: Journalism
  We'll happily take donations towards the BBC's licence fee ;)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
retsy, 21 Mar 2014 @ 1:46pm

Do any of these news organizations with their White House front lawn cams pay any attention to the lunatics in front of the White House?

There are some really screwed up individuals out there. And I'm not talking about your normal peaceful protestors who picket like regular folks.

There are some really mentally challenged and sick individuals who screaming at the building about failed tours of duty in the military or reciting the details of bylaws like they know them by heart. Like Obama is going to hear them. Of course there's the whackjob braindamaged woman who camps out on the front door step for the past 20 years. Don't tell me its not seem the least bit spooky to you.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Nunya Biznis, 14 Jun 2015 @ 8:19am

CNBC Breaking News
If Andrea Mitchell had an ounce of journalistic integrity she would have REFUSED her directors instruction to break away...FAIL. For Shame Andrea!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]