Alex Wagner's NOW Signals MSNBC Has Abandoned Pretense Of Neutrality In Dayside

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As MSNBC's prime time programming has shifted into left-leaning point of view programming, the network appears to have captured a market advantage. The ratings have spiked and, in the last several months, they are often competitive with Fox News Channel in the key demographic. The success of MSNBC's prime time programming has, however, apparently begun to alter how the cable news network approaches their dayside programs. Where the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET block was once devoted to what the network said was straight, unbiased news programming, it is now leaning further towards left-leaning commentary and analysis. The most self-evident example of the shift to point of view programming in MSNBC's dayside is Alex Wagner's panel program NOW.

On October 10 alone, Wagner opened her program with a monologue admonishing Mitt Romney for his flip flopping on abortion rights issues (although, as I noted in this post, she had to selectively edit a 2007 presidential debate featuring Romney in order to make that point). Her panel of four guests has recently become bereft of conservatives. Yesterday featured Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson, MSNBC host and Salon.com editor Steve Kornacki, The Grio editor Joy-Ann Reid and New York Times Magazine editor Hugo Lindgren. All the while, featuring chyrons like 'Bird Brained' when discussing Mitt Romney's promise to end federal subsidization of PBS programming or 'Mitt-Go-Round' when describing Romney's evolution on abortion. While Wagner's panel is rarely bereft of Republican guests, they are almost always outnumbered.

RELATED: Why MSNBC's The Cycle Will Shape The Future Of Cable News

Here's the thing: this is working. MSNBC has grown in the ratings and Wagner's show has grown into a provocative and informative program, if unabashedly left-leaning. There is nothing wrong with that. But there is something untoward with MSNBC standing by the claim that their dayside programming is entirely neutral and eschews editorial opinion. That flies in the face of reality.

Most of MSNBC's dayside continues to strive for neutrality. Without question, reporters like Chris Jansing, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell do their best to avoid the perception that they are playing favorites. To a lesser extent, the same could be said for news anchors Thomas Roberts and Tamron Hall ' though Mediaite has chronicled more than a handful of occasions when they have climbed down from the referee's chair to enter a debate with their more conservative guests.

The bottom line: MSNBC's new point of view programming ' spanning both the dayside and prime time ' has been a smart programming maneuver. As I wrote yesterday about The Cycle, there are programming decision makers at MSNBC seem to be more focused on informing their audience over ratings grabbing. That is a laudable goal and it should be encouraged. However, to pretend, as MSNBC continues to do, that their dayside is not as opinion-driven as their primetime is simply disingenuous.

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• The shift is to counter the far right leaning FOX NEWS .
  CNN failed to pick up with thier right shift
  MSNBC = winning with their counter attack of FOX .
  It working

• Yeah, so basically now there are two TV news networks that lie to us rather than one. That isn't progress.

• With Fox around who cares?

• I prefer the unabashed honesty that the hosts of NOW/ Martin Bashir/ The Cycle demonstrate about their politics to the often hollow (and always laughable) promises of 'fair and balanced' reporting during daytime FNC.

• When over the past half decade has MSNBC professed neutrality? They have committed to report the truth which may appear biased, but in fact when you roll the bones, that's the way they scatter.

• YES , with exception the number is much higher than 2 .

• You mean the truth has a liberal bias :)

• So what? Fox makes the same claim about their daytime dreck and no one cares.

• MSNBC & FOX are both are joke-HACKY-Networks and should be enjoyed as entertainment.

  Noah, I do think you're not being clear enough on Chuck Todd. Honestly, I don't like him for superficial reasons' just find him so annoying' boring white guy' a face for radio'

  HOWEVER, he is COMPLETELY unbiased. It's wrong of you to not make that crystal clear.

• I sure hope there's a story somewhere on Mediaite about how 'Fair and Balanced' Fox has already abandoned any semblance of neutrality in their daytime.

  Other than Shep, who is there at Fox that isn't apologetically aiming for promotion at Fox with hard right-leaning shows?

  Greg Garret?

  Greta?

  Anyone on the Five?!?!?

  Brett Baier?!?!?

  Any of the blondes they put on?!?!?

  There's no one over on Fox.

  Let's also recall that Foxnews.com abruptly ended comment posting on their site, days before beginning their election season turn harder right.

• If you believe that the truth is important, then you should dedicate a reasonable portion of your time to find out who is lying to you. You might start with FOX to see if they are ever telling you the truth.

• They had to abandon all pretense of neutrality, Obama is not doing well right now. Obama needs them to campaign for him. Too bad nobody watches.

• Considering MSNBC was real critical of the President's performance in the debate, whereas Fox has never presented a true picture of the state of the Romney campaign, I'd say MSNBC is at least by inches more accurate than Fox.

  Secondly, I know that when Obama is winning, you people consider that a tie, and when it's actually tied, you consider than a win for Romney, but in reality-ville, the game is tied at the moment, with the President still ahead in the Electoral College.

• Foxnews.com major headlines this morning:

  First it was something about 'Romney Ahead and with All The Momentum'

  Then it was switch to the sub 'Another Solyndra'

  A 'Bias Alert column graces that front page every day, which is a bit odd, since the column itself almost always denotes a strong, manipulative bias'.

• Can everyone say it with me?

  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

• Additional headlines on the 'Fair and Balanced' fox site right now, kind of comical actually:

  ' Voters Find Obama Libya Response 'Troubling'
  ' POWER PLAY: Low Expectations, Big Pressure for Biden
  ' Ryan Preps for Biden With 'P90X' of Debate Workouts
  ' FLASHBACK: Remember That Palin Legs Pic?
  ' VIDEO: Media Ignoring Facts?
  ' Debate Moderator Hosted Obama at Wedding, Candidates Say OK

• I do start with Fox, and they are liars. They aren't the only ones.

• The MSDNC Network '.color me shocked

• Its clearly left-leaning and Noah correctly identified that its a market-oriented approach, in order to attract those desiring a Fox alternative. The fact that they are partisan is unquestioned, but what is of concern is whether they frame narratives through habitual dishonesty like Fox.

• You mean the tears and hand wringing and meltdowns and blame game? Right, really critical'

• The thing which enrages the conservatives more than believing that the liberals have told a lie is that they have told the truth.

• No.

• In realityville they had no choice but to be critical of the president, as he was really, really bad in the last debate.I mean, there was no way to lie about that, you know, cause too many people were watching. I like how you guys always do the fox is worse mantra, like that makes it ok or even, it does not. I do agree with you though, that it's an even race at this point.

• They weren't critical. They were distraught that the silver tongued reader had done so poorly. That is why they immediately started the Romney Lied storyline.

• Martin Bashir is the most hateful, spiteful liar and distorter on TV ever. Considering all those MSNBC hosts he has to compete with for the 'honor', that's quite a feat. Chris Jansing and Andrea Mitchell (somewhat) are the only ones who even make any attempt to be fair.