The Mirror

Incest Desk: Politico’s media blog puckers up to ‘Morning Joe’

Betsy Rothstein Gossip blogger
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When a publication like Politico has a formal partnership with a cable news channel like MSNBC, it’s expected that reporters are going to avoid taking pot shots at the network. More than that, they’re going to avoid any story that would make it uncomfortable for say, Maggie Haberman or Mike Allen, to appear on the show. In fact, no matter how much a story may be on their media beats, if it involves being critical of an MSNBC program that Politico reporters appear on regularly, they’ll avoid it like the plague.

my_collage_by_FuzelFine. Everyone knows that’s the game. So how about if Politico‘s media blog writers spare readers grotesque gushing about the program’s obviously biased coverage of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a “friend of the show” who co-host Mika Brzezinksi spoke with by phone for approximately 15 minutes after his large and in charge press conference.

From a post published on Politico Wednesday under the headline, “Morning Joe defends Christie coverage,” they write:

“As we’ve noted before, the ‘Morning Joe’ crew has provided sober and cleareyed coverage of the scandal so far. They’ve also been forthright about their personal relationships with the governor and, while giving him the benefit of the doubt, have offered honest assessments of the damage the scandal could do to his presidential ambitions. … Mika Brzezinski, Scarborough’s co-host, said she thinks the show should give Christie ‘extra scrutiny’ because of their close relationship.”

Scrutiny? Extra scrutiny? We must have missed that while they were defending him and lodged in the vastness of Christie’s anal cavity giving him the benefit of all doubts for days on end. What’s worse, Politico‘s media blog doesn’t even scrutinize Brzezinksi’s commentary and, in fact, declares that they’ve provided “cleareyed coverage” of the scandal. In whose eyes, Christies? No doubt he’s incredibly happy with the show. Also in the piece: co-host Joe Scarborough remarks that “Christ Christie hasn’t complained” about the coverage. That’s very big of him. But why would he?

All that, and absolutely no disclosure that the publication has a relationship — and a serious one at that — with the network and “Morning Joe” in particular.

In a word: sickening.

The Mirror requested comment from Politico On Media’s editor Dylan Byers. He never replied to the request.