MSNBC claims it was initially unaware of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign payments to network host Al Sharpton‘s National Action Network non-profit before his interview with the 2024 Democrat presidential nominee. The group received $500,000 through two payments from the Harris campaign on September 5 and October 1.
The donations were made public weeks before his interview with Harris on October 20. During the interview, which many have described as softball, Sharpton praised Harris and criticized now President-elect Donald J. Trump. The timing of the contributions has drawn criticism from journalists questioning the network’s journalistic integrity.
In the aftermath, MSNBC has faced backlash, including from the Society of Professional Journalists, which criticized the network for lacking transparency about potential conflicts of interest. The organization emphasized that this type of entanglement diminishes Sharpton’s and MSNBC’s credibility.
An MSNBC spokesman stated that the network was “unaware” of the donations to Sharpton’s non-profit. They declined to address whether any action would be taken against Sharpton, citing a policy of not commenting on personnel matters.
Former Congressman John Linder called the Harris-Sharpton MSNBC interview effectively a “campaign commercial.” Meanwhile, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman alleged the payments were attempts to “manipulate the audience” when Sharpton interviewed Harris on MSNBC. […]
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