Conde also apologized to employees he “felt let down” and took “full responsibility” for their employment.
The network announced her hire on Friday, telling employees that McDaniel signed a deal to provide “expert insight and analysis on American politics and the 2024 election.” “There's never been a more important time to have a voice like Rona on our team,” one NBC News executive argued in a memo.
But the company's broadcast personalities, especially those at its liberal-leaning cable affiliate MSNBC, vehemently disagreed, saying McDaniel's media bashing of Donald Trump and promotion of false election fraud claims were criticized by the news department. He claimed that he was disqualified from the role.
And on Monday, one by one, they took to the airwaves to deliver that message to their bosses in front of a live audience.
“Wait a minute and admit that probably wasn't the right decision,” MSNBC's top-rated star Rachel Maddow said on her show that night. “Admitting you're wrong is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
The backlash to McDaniel's appointment comes as television networks face greater difficulties in hiring pundits to provide pro-Trump viewpoints without clashing with both viewers and their own employees. It shows that there is.
For example, CBS News staffers objected two years ago when the station hired Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney, another promoter of the former president's unfounded claims, as a contributor. In the end, he only appeared on air sporadically and left the network after about a year.
However, NBC hired Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence in the Trump administration, without causing any backlash in February.
Conde said in the memo that the network remains committed to ideological diversity. “Our initial decision was made because of our deep commitment to presenting a broad and diverse range of perspectives and experiences to our viewers, especially at this critical time,” he wrote. “We remain committed to the principle that we must have diverse perspectives on our programs, and to that end, we will redouble our efforts to seek voices representing different parts of the political spectrum.”
NBC officials, both publicly and privately, have maintained that the complaints are not about McDaniel's political affiliation, but about her actions.
“Let me be clear: NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices to balance its election coverage,” co-host Mika Brzezinski said Monday on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” “I'm thinking about it,” co-host Mika Brzezinski said. “But it should be a conservative Republican, not someone who used his position of power to deny an anti-democratic election.”
“We welcome the Republican voice,” prime-time host Joy Reid added later in the day. “The reality is this is not a disagreement. She literally supported an illegal plan to steal Michigan's election.”
McDaniel appeared on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, and host Kristen Welker told the audience she had no idea her soon-to-be colleague was scheduled to appear weeks ago. He then lashed out at the guest in an interview. Critics praised his aggressiveness and rigor.
Later in the show, political analyst Chuck Todd questioned McDaniel's “credibility,” telling Welker:.”
The backlash intensified Monday morning when her “Morning Joe” co-hosts said they would not have hired her. Throughout that night's lineup, MSNBC hosts took turns criticizing McDaniel and her hiring decision, with Maddow calling it “baffling.”
By Tuesday morning, the situation appeared untenable. Even if McDaniel remains with the company, one major channel has already indicated that she is not welcome to appear on the show, and MSNBC president Rashida Jones has no need to book her as a host. I was told that there was no.
Network employees and rival media executives agreed that one of NBC's big failings on this issue was not getting buy-in from the network's stars before hiring McDaniel.
Had NBC not reversed its decision, it would almost certainly have faced further criticism Tuesday night from prime-time hosts Chris Hayes and Alex Wagner, who have Monday night off.
This is a breaking news that will be updated from time to time.
