MSNBC has been caught faking the silliest piece of news. The network attempted to trick viewers that the hosts of “Morning Joe” were hard at work on Friday, airing a “live” morning after Thanksgiving show. In reality, the show was pre-recorded.
As reported by the Washington Post, Mika Brzezinski, cohost along side Joe Scarborough, opened the show with playful banter.
“Day after Thanksgiving! Hoo! I’m stuffed. I always cook the turkey with the guts in it !” said Brzezinski.
“Joe didn’t notice. He ate the bag,” joked co-host Willie Geist
“It was good! Well, you know, the game made up for it …How was your Thanksgiving?” Scarborough asked to guest Rick Tyler.
“Very successful,” said Tyler. “Although the conversations were interesting.”
“I bet!” responded Brzezinski.
The segment appeared to be copacetic, but something was off. In addition to the absence of the “Live” graphic that is typically at the bottom of the screen, the hosts were not covering the biggest story of the day; the terrorist attack on the Egyptian mosque.
So, how did the Post determine the charade? Well, a longtime viewer tipped them off.
“A longtime viewer of the program noticed that Friday’s edition had none of the usual discussion of breaking news and contacted The Washington Post to inquire if “Morning Joe” was presenting “fake news.” He said he was surprised to see Scarborough and Brzezinski appearing in a New York studio on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
“I was quite flabbergasted by the way they were so deceptive about this...especially when they are always so quick to castigate lying [or] deception they attribute to others,” said the viewer, who asked not to be identified.
According to the Post, MSNBC officially declined to comment. However, an MSNBC executive confirmed the segment was pre-recorded.
An MSNBC spokeswoman declined to comment. But an executive confirmed that the program wasn’t live. “There was no intention to trick viewers,” she said. “Would it have helped if there was a disclaimer,” referencing it as a delayed broadcast? “Maybe. But that’s not typically done.”
As is, she said, “They’re having fun” with the pretense that it’s live.
You have to wonder, if MSNBC is willing to be dishonest about something as trivial as a post-Thanksgiving morning show, what else are they hiding?
