Melissa Harris-Perry May Be Leaving Her Show After Being “Shut Out” From Election Coverage
Yesterday afternoon, news began circulating that television host and professor Melissa Harris-Perry had walked off her show–which airs on MSNBC–after her program had been pre-empted several times in favor of presidential election coverage (while other shows on the network had been unaffected). Former Melissa Harris-Perry Show producer Jamil Smith posted Harris-Perry’s email to staffers in full on Medium, in which she says that while the show is scheduled to air this weekend it appears to be a decision made by higher-ups in an attempt to “save face”:
Here is the reality: our show was taken–without comment or discussion or notice–in the midst of an election season. After four years of building an audience, developing a brand, and developing trust with our viewers, we were effectively and utterly silenced. Now, MSNBC would like me to appear for four inconsequential hours to read news that they deem relevant without returning to our team any of the editorial control and authority that makes MHP Show distinctive.
According to reports, The MHP Show has been off the air for weeks in spite of a growing number of viewers inquiring about its absence–especially in the midst of election season. Harris-Perry mentions CNN’s Dylan Byers by name as someone who “has made repeated inquiries with MSNBC’s leadership and with me about the show and what appears to be its cancellation.”
Harris-Perry went on to say in a later interview that she does not believe there is “a personal racial component” involved in the decision; however, her email states that she will not return to her show unless that return “happens under certain terms.”
One of the most encouraging aspects of Harris-Perry’s show is the diversity of its panelists–which she’s spoken about many times (including an episode of BuzzFeed’s fantastic podcast “Another Round”)–and is something that’s added much-needed differing perspectives to a network in contrast with some of the others out there. If MSNBC is pulling the slow fade routine with The MHP Show to try and compete with other news channels, they’re not heading in the right direction.
(via Jezebel)
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