MSNBC president steps down, Maddow returns to anchor desk for Trump return
Amid falling ratings since the November presidential election, MSNBC is shaking things up before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. The network announced Tuesday, Jan. 14, that President Rashida Jones is stepping down but will stay on in an advisory role through March.
Jones said she is stepping down to “pursue other opportunities.” Senior Vice President of Content Strategy Rebecca Kutler, who previously spearheaded CNN+ in 2022, will take over as interim president.
The company also revealed Monday, Jan. 13, that Rachel Maddow, the network’s most popular host, will temporarily return to the anchor desk five days a week for Trump’s first 100 days in office.
MSNBC was reportedly the second most-watched cable news behind Fox News during the November election but has seen a sharp drop in ratings since then.
Beginning next week, Maddow will be on the anchor desk from Monday through Friday. Current anchor Alex Wagner will be deployed to cover Trump’s policies over his first 100 days.
The shift comes as MSNBC hedges its bets on viewers returning with a heightened interest in Trump as he takes office for a second term, according to the network’s leaders.
Maddow echoed that sentiment, telling USA Today that she believes viewers will want a “frontline perspective” of Trump’s early policies. Maddow and Wagner will return to normal programming after April 30, 2025.
Ratings slump: Half of MSNBC viewers haven’t returned since Election Day
Six weeks after the 2020 election, MSNBC and CNN continue to face a steep decline in viewership, while Fox News has gained viewers. MSNBC’s prime-time ratings are down by more than half compared to pre-election numbers, with the network averaging about 600,000 viewers.
CNN’s viewership has dropped by 46%, averaging around 400,000 prime-time viewers. In contrast, Fox News has seen a 12% increase in its ratings since Election Day, drawing 2.7 million viewers.
While it’s not unusual for networks to lose viewers after an election, this decline is particularly sharp for MSNBC and CNN. Johanna Dunaway, a political science professor, told The Wall Street Journal that partisan viewers often disengage from the media when the opposing side celebrates an election victory.
Both Democrats and Republicans typically take a break from media consumption after their candidates lose. For example, after Joe Biden’s 2020 win, Fox News saw a 6% decline in viewership, and following Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection, Fox experienced a 13% drop.
In 2016, MSNBC and CNN also experienced temporary dips after Trump’s victory. However, when Trump took office in 2017, MSNBC saw a surge in viewership, driven by its left-leaning audience tuning in to watch the so-called “resistance” to the new administration.
MSNBC executives are optimistic that a similar trend will occur in 2025, hoping that viewers return after Trump’s inauguration. They expect that interest in the news cycle will rise as people react to Trump’s policies and actions while in office.
No FBI agents, but 26 informants: Media divided over latest Jan 6 report
Nearly four years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a new Department of Justice watchdog report sheds light on the FBI’s involvement that day. The inspector general’s report reveals both the absence of undercover FBI agents and the presence of FBI informants. However, how this information is being reported varies widely depending on the political leanings of news outlets.
Left-leaning outlets are focusing on one aspect of the report, while right-leaning outlets are highlighting another.
CNN: “No undercover FBI agents were at the January 6 US Capitol riot, watchdog reports.”
Fox News: “DOJ IG reveals 26 FBI informants were present on Jan. 6.”
New York Post: “FBI had 26 informants at Jan. 6 Capitol riots — and most were involved, bombshell DOJ report confirms”
The inspector general’s report confirms both of these claims. It found that the FBI did not deploy undercover agents or employ individuals at the Capitol that day. However, it also stated that approximately two dozen informants who report intelligence back to the bureau — aka “confidential human sources” — were present.
Of the 26 informants, three were instructed by the FBI to attend the Capitol, while the others acted independently, according to the report. Four informants entered the Capitol building, one of whom was assigned by the FBI to be there, while 13 entered “restricted grounds.”
Left-leaning outlets are largely reporting that the findings debunk conspiracy theories about the FBI’s involvement in the riot, while right-leaning outlets are framing the report as evidence of the FBI’s presence among the rioters.
Politico’s coverage begins: “A Justice Department watchdog found no evidence that the FBI deployed undercover agents to the Capitol or nearby protests on Jan. 6, 2021, further undercutting debunked conspiracy theories about the riot being instigated by law enforcement.”
In contrast, the New York Post reported: “The FBI had at least 26 confidential informants on the ground in Washington, DC, during the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol — most of whom engaged in illegal activity during the chaos… Leadership at the bureau had long been adamant that it did not have sources who ‘orchestrated’ the riot.”
Differences in interpretation were also evident in broadcast coverage.
“The FBI had 26 confidential human sources there that day,” Fox News primetime host Jesse Watters, said during Thursday’s show. “A confidential human source is a guy the FBI pays to spy for them.” One host added, “They’re just freelancing for the feds. Rats in MAGA hats.”
CNN’s anchors started their coverage with, “There were no undercover FBI employees at the Capitol during the riot. This finding runs directly counter to speculation from allies of Trump who for years have suggested the violence that day was provoked by federal agents.”
MSNBC and Fox News took swings at the other side’s interpretation.
“I just think this is definitely something the right-wing media is going to run with,” Ryan Reilly, justice reporter, said Thursday on MSNBC. “That number is certainly going to raise a lot of concerns on the right, and it’s something Republicans in Congress have honed in on — this notion that this was all driven by confidential human sources. To be clear, the report says there is zero evidence whatsoever that any of these individuals were instructed to do anything by the FBI. It’s just what they did on their own.”
Meanwhile, Watters on Fox News said, “The media today is cherry-picking the report to show there were no undercover agents there on Jan. 6, the whole thing is a conspiracy. These aren’t articles, they’re FBI press releases.”
The inspector general’s report, while intended to clarify the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6, has done little to bridge the political divide surrounding the events of that day. The debate over the riot continues to fuel division in American politics and media.
MSNBC, CNN lose nearly half of viewers since election night
Nielsen data shows a significant drop in viewership for MSNBC and CNN following the 2024 presidential election. In the week ending Nov. 24, MSNBC’s primetime audience fell by 53%, dropping from 1.34 million viewers the week before the election to just 632,000. CNN also saw a major decline, falling 47% from 754,000 to 398,000 viewers.
For MSNBC, the ratings drop has been especially pronounced for its top anchor, Rachel Maddow. Since Nov. 5, Maddow’s show has experienced a 41% decrease in total viewers, with a 50% drop in the key 25-54 demographic.
On Monday, Maddow’s show recorded its lowest viewership of the year and its worst performance in the key demographic since 2015.
MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” has also taken a hit, losing 37% of its audience since the election.
Internally, the network faces uncertainty. Last week, parent company Comcast announced plans to spin off MSNBC and other cable channels next year.
The announcement has raised concerns about potential layoffs and restructuring, with some employees expressing worry about the future of the network.
Despite these challenges, some within MSNBC told the New York Post the viewership drop is temporary and may recover in the new year after the inauguration.
While it’s common for news networks to lose viewers after major events like elections, Fox News has seen a surge in popularity, with viewership increasing 32% since election night. The network remains the dominant cable news provider, especially after President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
On election night, Fox led with 10 million primetime viewers, followed by MSNBC with 6 million and CNN with 5.1 million. Fox’s viewership has continued to rise, reaching 3.2 million, an 86% increase from last year.
‘You’re not the media’: Axios CEO spars with Elon Musk over journalism on X
There is an “information war” taking place, according to Axios CEO Jim VandeHei. VandeHei made the declaration after giving an acceptance speech for winning a journalism award, where he also called out Elon Musk, the owner of X, who advocates for citizen journalism over traditional news outlets.
In his speech, VandeHei referenced Musk’s posts on X, where Musk declared, “You are the media now.”
“Our industry, make no mistake about it – I’m not going to sugarcoat it – everything we do is under fire. Elon Musk sits on X every day saying, ‘We are the media, or you are the media.’ My message to Elon Musk is bulls–t,” VandeHei said.
“You having a blue check mark, a Twitter handle, and 300 words of cleverness doesn’t make you a reporter,” he added.
In response to a clip of VandeHei’s speech on X, Musk posted, “Yeah, whatever. You are the media now, and the legacy media knows it.”
After the viral speech, VandeHei appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where hosts applauded his remarks.
“Slow clap, everyone. First of all, I gotta say, extraordinary content. It needed to be said. It continues to need to be said,” said host Joe Scarborough.
“I listen to so many reporters who feel like the industry is going to hell, that nobody trusts them, that they’re demoralized,” VandeHei said in response. “We don’t have time to be demoralized. We don’t have time to whine. We have to do our job.”
The media industry is undeniably undergoing a significant shift, as Straight Arrow News has reported.
News ratings down after election, MSNBC sees 54% fall, CNN down 36%
It’s been a busy news cycle following the 2024 presidential election, a time of year when news organizations typically bank on high viewership due to public interest in election results and reactions. However, some networks are seeing their post-election audience quickly dissipate.
According to Nielsen ratings, MSNBC had a strong election night, drawing 6 million viewers. But in the days following the election, its viewership dropped significantly, falling to less than 1 million.
The network lost more than half of its audience compared to its October viewership, marking the lowest-rated non-holiday night of the year on Friday, Nov. 8.
MSNBC experienced a similar loss in viewership following the 2016 election after Donald Trump’s victory. However, the network rebounded, going on to have its four most-watched years in history from 2017 to 2020, as many news outlets capitalized on Trump-heavy coverage, generating record revenue.
CNN also saw a significant decline in viewership after last week’s election. The network attracted 5.1 million viewers during its election coverage, but in the days following the election, CNN’s viewership dropped to 611,000, a 36% decline compared to its October average of 953,000.
Fox News saw a different trend. While MSNBC and CNN were losing viewers, Fox News gained.
On election night, Fox attracted more than 10 million viewers, and in the days that followed, the network’s total viewership averaged over 4 million, a 34% increase from its October average. This was also a 58% jump compared to its year-to-date viewership for 2024.
While this trend reflects left-leaning cable networks losing viewers after Trump’s victory and right-leaning outlets gaining, there is one left-leaning talk show that defied the trend. “The View” saw a boost in viewership following Trump’s win, posting its best week of ratings in more than three years.
The ABC daytime talk show averaged 3 million viewers during the week of Nov. 5, making it the top-rated daytime talk show. The day after the election, “The View” had its most-watched episode in over a decade, drawing 4.5 million viewers, its highest since Barbara Walters’ farewell episode in 2014.
A total of 42 million people watched the election unfold across 18 TV networks, according to Nielsen. However, the viewership was down compared to the 2020 election, when 57 million tuned in, marking a 25% decrease in viewership this cycle.
Some in the media suggest that the decline in viewership on such a major news night can be attributed to a lack of trust in traditional media.
“The path of traditional media’s institutional collapse is really two intertwining stories: a breakdown of its business model exacerbated by a breakdown of influence, the extent of which became clear this campaign cycle,” Carlo Versano of Newsweek said. “Behind it all lies a growing sense among Americans that the media cannot be trusted to tell them the news they believe is fair.”
TV networks, streaming services add features to win election night
TV networks, streaming services and newspapers are all bringing out the latest technological advancements to win election night coverage. From virtual reality sets to election integrity teams, outlets are pulling out all stops to be the destination for American voters looking for the latest results and analysis.
MSNBC will present a virtual reality set for its election night coverage. That will see reporters appearing to stand near the White House, while in reality, they’ll be inside the 30 Rock studios in New York City.
Its sister network, NBC News also will unveil a VR set where its anchors will appear to be delivering news from outside the studio. NBC’s streaming service Peacock will debut its multiview experience for the first time beyond a sporting event.
It will give viewers three livestreams at once including the Kornacki Cam. The Kornacki Cam is a feed on correspondent Steve Kornacki analyzing the latest results.
ABC News is touting its 72 hours plus of election coverage which includes its “ballot watch” desk overseen by the ABC News Investigative Unit. ABC says it will be “monitoring all storylines related to election integrity.”
Fox News says it will debut new immersive graphics technology as part of its special coverage of the 2024 election. This includes a 3D “Path to 270 Map” showing the candidates’ options at reaching the critical number of electoral votes.
The network was the most-watched cable network last election night in 2020 setting a record with 13.7 million viewers.
Over at NewsNation, the channel will be covering its first presidential election since becoming a full-time 24-hour national news network earlier this year. Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo will be at the anchor desk covering the election.
The CW network will simulcast part of NewsNation’s coverage.
Former NBC News anchor Brian Williams leads Amazon Prime Video’s entry into election night coverage.
Comedy Central will have a special edition of “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart.
CNBC will focus on the economy during its special programming from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
CNN is adding its Magic Wall experience to its app. CBS News, not to be outdone by NBC, will also be debuting its new AR-VR presidential election center.
Beyond TV and streaming, The Associated Press will be using its “state-of-the-art analytics tools” as well as its AP VoteCast. The VoteCast surveys American voters across the country as the polls close in its reporting.
The Washington Post is unveiling a slate of new features to its coverage including an election dashboard that provides live updates from key swing states.
The New York Times will have its famous needle as election results come in.
As for Straight Arrow News, we’ll be bringing you updates throughout election night and viewers will get a full recap of the evening’s events on Wednesday, Nov. 6, during SAN’s morning show “Unbiased Updates.”
According to Nielsen, an estimated 56.9 million people tuned in to watch primetime coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. That was down from 71 million viewers in 2016.
It will be interesting to see not just now how many people show up at the polls this election, but how many show up to watch the results
Media called VP Harris ‘border czar’ 3 years ago — now that’s changing
Following President Joe Biden dropping from the race, Vice President Kamala Harris will likely be the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential race. Now, several news outlets are backtracking on some previous reports on Harris — especially ones calling her the “border czar.”
The title was given to Harris by Republicans and the media. This came out shortly after President Biden appointed Harris to work with Mexican and Central American leaders to find the root causes of migration from the southern border into the U.S.
“I have asked her, the vice president, today because she’s the most qualified person to do it, to lead our efforts with Mexico and [the] Northern Triangle,” Biden said in 2021. “The country’s going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks stemming the migration to our southern border.”
The White House did not give Harris the official title of border czar, however, several news outlets did.
Bill D’Agostino posted a video on X showing various examples of the media calling Harris the border czar before Biden left the race.
“This will be her first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border region since she was appointed as border czar by President Biden,” one Ed Lavandera, a CNN senior national correspondent, said on June 25, 2021.
“President Biden tapped Kamala Harris, Vice President Kamala Harris to be the border czar,” one CBS News reporter said.
Now, many outlets are saying that the reporting was never true.
“People are going to have to counter the misinformation,” MSNBC host Symone Sanders said on July 24. “I already hear folks talking about the border czar. She wasn’t the border czar.”
“Now she wasn’t the border czar, that’s what Republicans labeled her,” an ABC reporter said.
Neither President Biden or the White House ever gave Harris that title. The term czar is an informal moniker given to officials tasked with overseeing broad aspects of an issue.
There are reports from some of those same media outlets from early to mid-2021 stating that Harris’ team did not want Biden’s tasking Harris to find the “root causes of migration” to be mislabeled as the person in charge of securing the U.S. southern border or border policy.
A 2021 story from CNN reads in part, “Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff have sought to make one thing clear: She does not manage the southern border.”
The Washington Post ran the headline, “Republicans try to crown Harris the ‘border czar.’ She rejects the title” on April 16, 2021.
Axios reported in 2021 that Harris was “appointed by Biden as border czar.” The media outlet made a correction to the article on Wednesday, July 24.
The Axios piece now says Vice President Harris “never actually had” the title of border czar and that the “article has been updated and clarified to note that Axios was among the news outlets that incorrectly labeled Harris a ‘border czar’ back in 2021.”
Harris was never officially deemed the border czar and was never tasked to fix the southern border; she was tasked to find the root causes of migration. It was congressional Republicans and the media who gave Harris the title, and now the media is attempting to rewrite its own reporting.
Biden’s physician responds to reports on Parkinson’s expert visits
President Joe Biden’s physician releases a letter as questions surround a Parkinson’s expert’s repeated visits to the White House. And former President Donald Trump’s deadline to pick a vice president nears with the Republican National Convention just days away. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
Biden’s physician responds to reports on Parkinson’s disease expert visits
Ever since President Joe Biden’s self-described “bad night” at the presidential debate, he and his team have had to field questions about his health. That was no different on Monday, July 8, when the concerns centered on a Parkinson’s disease expert who had recently visited the White House on several occasions.
According to public visitor logs, Dr. Kevin Cannard — a neurologist and “movement disorders specialist” from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — visited the White House eight times in the eight-month span between July 2023 and March 2024, including a visit with the president’s personal physician.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked repeatedly about the visits during Monday’s press briefing. Jean-Pierre said Biden has seen a neurologist three times as part of annual physicals but would not confirm much else, saying the White House medical unit serves multiple personnel along with the president.
“I can tell you this — just going back to Parkinson’s for a little bit, so, to give you some answers here: Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No, he’s not,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No. So those are the things that I can give you full-blown answers on but I’m not going to confirm a specialist, any specialist that comes to come comes to the White House, out of privacy.”
Hours later, White House physician Kevin O’Connor released a letter addressing the issue, saying Dr. Cannard was “the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals,” including one in February that showed no signs of any neurological disorders. O’Connor also confirmed the president has not seen a neurologist outside of those physicals.
The president himself wrote a letter earlier in the day to Democrats in Congress amid growing calls for him to step aside, saying he is “firmly committed to staying in the race.” He added he “wouldn’t be running again if” he did not “absolutely believe” he was the “best person to beat Donald Trump.”
A defiant Biden joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe shortly after sending the letter, saying it’s the voters who chose him as the Democratic nominee, and he is not concerned about those calling for him to drop out of the race.
“I’m getting so frustrated by the elites — not you guys — the elites in the party, oh, they know so much more,” the president said. “Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention.”
Biden to host NATO summit, will take questions from media
President Biden will look to answer critics’ calls for him to step aside as he welcomes world leaders to Washington, D.C. for the NATO summit that begins Tuesday, July, 9. Leaders from more than 30 NATO countries, as well as partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the European Union and Ukraine, will join the president to mark 75 years of the global alliance.
The summit will focus on supplying additional military and financial aid to Ukraine, including new steps to strengthen its air defenses. During the week, Biden will host an event with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and two dozen other leaders. He’ll also take part in his first bilateral meeting with new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On Thursday, July 11, the president will hold a press conference where he will take questions from the media.
Trump’s vice president search enters final days
Former President Trump is getting back on the campaign trail with a rally in Florida as the deadline to announce his pick for vice president looms. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday, July 8 night, Trump did confirm Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, R, are under consideration.
But as to when we’ll find out who the official pick is, it seems even the former president isn’t quite sure.
“I think probably within the next week, week and a half, probably sometime — I’d love to do it during the convention,” he told Hannity. “My people say that’s a little complicated. You know, in the old days, they would announce the vice president during the convention. Today, with modern day technology you can’t do things that you could’ve done 50 years ago very easily. But probably a little before the convention but not much. It could even be during the convention that we’ll do it. I’d love to do it during the convention. I think it would be a very interesting build up and important for the convention and would make it even more exciting.”
The Republican National Convention kicks off Monday, July 15, in Milwaukee.
At least 6 dead in Texas after Beryl, millions without power
At least six people have been confirmed dead and millions are without power after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm on Monday, July 8. Dozens of people across the state also had to be rescued from flood waters after Beryl dropped up to ten inches of rain in some areas and tornadoes could be spotted across the state.
Officials in Texas said it’ll take “several days” to restore power, but they should be getting a clearer timeline at some point Tuesday.
Since making landfall, Beryl has weakened to a tropical depression. It’s now moving toward Arkansas, but rain from the storm is expected to hit as far north as Detroit by Tuesday night then dump heavy rain in Vermont by Wednesday, July 10.
Jury selection begins in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial
On Monday, a judge ruled jurors will not hear evidence related to his status as a producer on the film, only his role as an actor in the movie.
Baldwin admitted he was holding a prop gun when a live bullet discharged. He’d previously stated that he did not intentionally pull the trigger and that the gun “went off.”
If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.
Price of Forever stamps to increase starting next week
The price of stamps is going up again. Starting on Sunday, July 14, one Forever stamp will cost 73 cents — up five cents from its current price.
Biden’s media blitz aims to reassure voters and unify Democrats
President Joe Biden is trying to reassure voters and a growing number of Democrats who are reportedly calling for him to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. However, he has vowed to stay in the race during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, July 8.
“The bottom line is I’m not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere,” Biden said.
His words come as even more Democratic lawmakers called for his withdrawal from the presidential race over the weekend of July 6. Some have demanded more media appearances to reassure voters ahead of the general election.
Concerns were raised about the president’s mental acuity for office after a shaky debate performance on June 27.
Following those concerns, the president and his aides have tried to quell them. On Friday, July 5, President Biden addressed concerns about his physical and mental stamina to endure another four years as president on ABC News.
“Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognitive test and the release the to the American people,” George Stephanopoulos asked Biden.
Biden replied, “Look, I have a cognitive test every single day. Every day I have to that test. Everything I do. Not only my campaign but I’m running the world.”
However, the president failed to directly answer the question over whether or not he would take the test.
While the media sprint is meant to calm concerns, it has also drawn scrutiny. Over the weekend, a Philadelphia radio host, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, resigned after admitting to asking questions provided to her by the Biden campaign.
Another radio host in Milwaukee, Earl Ingram, also said that he was provided questions ahead of his interview with the president. However, he has not resigned.
A Biden campaign spokesperson acknowledged that the campaign provided questions to the radio show hosts but said, “We do not condition interviews on acceptance of these questions.”
Following the backlash, the Biden campaign said it will no longer recommend questions to interviewers.
Meanwhile, Biden’s reassurance tour hits the global stage as he plans to hold a press conference at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., starting on July 9, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.