Critics blast Lauer's 'Commander-in-Chief Forum' performance

[riversedge]

Source: CNNMoney





by Dylan Byers @CNNMoney September 7, 2016: 10:37 PM ET

Twitter has a memo for NBC News: Don't send Matt Lauer to do a political journalist's job.

Lauer's handling of the NBC News "Commander-In-Chief Forum" with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Wednesday night was widely panned by journalists and pundits.

The "Today" show co-host was criticized for spending too much time on Clinton's emails, lobbing softball questions to Trump, and neglecting to fact-check the Republican nominee when he falsely claimed to have opposed the Iraq War in 2002.

"This #NBCNewsForum feels like an embarrassment to journalism," New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote on Twitter.
.......................

Liberals and conservatives were split about Lauer's decision to open his questioning of Clinton with the controversy over her private email server. But when the issue persisted ten minutes into the 30-minute segment, and he was later forced to tell Clinton to be "brief" on the subject of ISIS, he was slammed for dedicating so much time to the topic. ......................

Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/07/media/matt-lauer-nbc-commander-in-chief-forum/index.html

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And then there is this:



September 7, 2016 10:40 p.m.



Matt Lauer’s Pathetic Interview of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Is the Scariest Thing I’ve Seen in This Campaign

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/09/lauers-pathetic-interview-made-me-think-trump-can-win.html




By Jonathan



A frightening case study in journalistic failure. Photo: Justin Sullivan

I had not taken seriously the possibility that Donald Trump could win the presidency until I saw Matt Lauer host an hour-long interview with the two major party candidates. Lauer’s performance was not merely a failure, it was horrifying and shocking. The shock, for me, was the realization that most Americans inhabit a very different news environment than professional journalists. I not only consume a lot of news, since it’s my job, I also tend to focus on elite print news sources. Most voters, and all the more so undecided voters, subsist on a news diet supplied by the likes of Matt Lauer. And the reality transmitted to them from Lauer matches the reality of the polls, which is a world in which Clinton and Trump are equivalently flawed.

Lauer focused a third of his questioning time on Clinton’s private email server. Her decision to follow Colin Powell’s advice is a legitimate blot on her record. But Lauer did not move the ball forward on the question in any meaningful way:

The word judgment has been used a lot around you, Secretary Clinton, over the last year and a half. And in particular concerning your use of your personal email and pre– and server to communicate while you were secretary of State. You have said it’s a mistake.

.............................

You were communicating on highly sensitive topics. Why wasn’t it more than a mistake? Why wasn’t it disqualifying if you wanna be commander-in-chief–?.....................

[Warpy]

1. Lauer did what he does best

He preserved network access to a right wing liar and the biggest threat this country has ever faced.

[annabanana]

2. It was really pathetic.

He failed his alleged profession, he failed the American people.
He ought to take some time off to reflect.

[TrishaJ]

4. No, he did the job he is PAID

to do by the corporate masters at NBC, which was to prop up Trump and tear down Clinton. I did not expect anything else from this charade.

[Locrian]

5. no he didn't

He perfectly met the expectations of his profession. The "oldest" profession that is

[atreides1]

7. That's not fair!

Most members of the "oldest" profession have more integrity in their little finger then Matt Lauer and other "journalists" have in their entire bodies!!!

[Locrian]

8. absolultely true

Apologies to people who actually have more integrity and value than Lauer! (which is pretty much everybody except people like Roger Ailes, etc)

[BumRushDaShow]

3. This was on the level of Stupidfucidous' "flag pin" controversy

That is how idiotic this became.

[William Seger]

6. Completely predictable: Lauer's specialty is banal banter (n/t)

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

13. So true, and so sad that he's paid big bucks and is so popular.

For what? Blah, blah, blah.

[skypilot]

9. "NBC spokespeople did not respond...

...to a request for comment regarding Lauer's performance, or why Chuck Todd, the network's political director and host of "Meet The Press," was not asked to moderate the forum.


LOL!

[annabanana]

11. like HE'D be an improvement . . . n/t

[skypilot]

12. I know, right?

*

[wordpix]

10. why was 1/3 of Hill's time spent on email questions in a military forum?

B/c Lauer thought it was a good idea. He deserves a slam for this alone.