Getting the record straight

Tell NBC News: Correcting Republican lies is part of journalism.

Dear Jim, In a Morning Joe segment this week addressing misinformation about the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd made the outrageous claim that it isn’t his job to inform viewers when Republican politicians lie about political issues. As a regular NBC and MSNBC viewer, and a politically engaged American, I’m deeply concerned by Chuck Todd’s view that correcting lies is not his job as a journalist. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to NBC News President Deborah Turness, asks the following: Chuck Todd’s assertion that correcting Republican lies isn’t his job is factually incorrect and counter to the purpose of journalism. Hold Chuck Todd accountable by issuing a public apology for his outrageous statement and ensure that all NBC News and MSNBC journalists know that correcting political misinformation and lies is part of their job description. How is it possible that the political director of NBC News doesn’t think it is his job to inform NBC viewers with facts about important political issues? This shouldn’t be hard. Journalists are supposed to inform their audience with facts. When lies are provided for partisan purposes, it is not "doing the job of the White House to sell" a government program to say that these are lies. That's reporting. That's journalism. Someone who just repeats what is said to him without placing it in context is called a stenographer -- or, worse, a propagandist -- not a journalist. Given NBC News’ policy of not informing its viewers of the facts about the Affordable Care Act, it should come as no surprise that 70% of the American people don’t understand what the law does. Make no mistake, if Chuck Todd and his other colleagues at NBC News actually fact-checked all the lies that Republicans tell about the Affordable Care Act, that number would be much, much lower. NBC News must accept its responsibility for Americans’ poor understanding of the law. If NBC’s job is to provide factual information to its viewers, it has totally failed the American people. MSNBC prides itself on being the TV network that "leans forward." If enough activists speak up against the mainstreaming of conservative misinformation on MSNBC it will create genuine pressure on the network to hold Chuck Todd accountable. Will you join me and add your name to my petition telling NBC News to hold Chuck Todd accountable for letting Republican liars off the hook? Thank you for your support. Nicole Belle