An Open Letter to MSNBC: Stop Apologizing!

The NBC News Network has to stop apologizing every time a conservative cries about the truth

Dear MSNBC,

Please stop apologizing to right-wing crybabies and move forward. I can’t believe you’re supposed to be called the “progressive” news organization. Honestly, I have found it a little pathetic that in recent weeks you have had to give different apologies to right-wing crocodile tears over purely manufactured controversies.

I must commend your network for hosting good progressive voices, such as Rachel Maddow. However, your recent actions in regards to both Melissa Harris Perry and now a regenerated cheerios commercial controversy have only reinforced my already held suspicions that your network is far from the ideal progressive network I envision.

Let’s start with Melissa Harris Perry. This is perhaps the most insanely ridiculous controversy I have ever seen. It is not only ridiculous in terms of what the controversy was, but the reaction of MSNBC and Melissa Harris Perry was just outright sad.

The issue began over Perry hosting a panel discussion on MSNBC in which her and her panelists were analyzing and commenting on a picture of Mitt Romney and his family. One of his kids in the picture was black (by adoption of course) and one of the panelists made the comment “one of these things is not like the other.” The panel then went on to comment that perhaps the picture was a good analogy for today’s Republican Party. Honestly, I kind of agree with that sentiment. Maybe because it’s got some truth to it.

Truth be damned. The conservative spin machine attacked immediately, and soon after Perry went on air and gave a tearful apology for something that she didn’t even say herself. In fact Perry commented that Romney’s adopted son was “adorable.” What was the controversy?

Commenting that Mitt Romney’s photo demonstrated an image of today’s Republican Party, pointing out the fact that there is a disparaging difference between whites and blacks in conservative ranks? That’s absolutely true. Even still, the right-wing cried loudly and forced a heartfelt apology for comments that did not deserve them. How many horrible words do I hear spit out from the mouths of conservatives every day about progressives and people on the left? How often do we cry and demand tearful apologies? Not often, comparatively.

If the Perry apology wasn’t bad enough, we had Chris Hayes, and Martin Bashir before her. Now even more apology tours. MSNBC outdid itself again with the return of the Cheerios Commercial controversy. Last year, Cheerios aired an ad featuring a bi-racial couple and their daughter. Sounds harmless enough, unless you are conservatives. Now the issue reemerged again. This time it revolves around a tweet sent out by MSNBC.

The tweet basically stated that “right-wingers” might react negatively to the ad airing during the Super Bowl. Do you know why they tweeted this? because when the ad first aired in 2013, it received a lot of negative comments from conservatives on Youtube and other social media. In spite of this, conservatives cried yet again about the MSNBC tweet and demanded an immediate apology. Guess what, MSNBC not only apologized but made its President personally apologize to the RNC. This is just pathetic.

My point is this MSNBC, if you want to be progressive, be progressive and be unapologetic about it. If you continually apologize for things that don’t require one, then all you’re doing is losing credibility and exposing how weak your network is. Personally, I began to distrust your organization when you pushed out Cenk Uygur a couple of years ago. Now these apologies just confirm my attitude. You guys are the farthest from the ideal of “progressive media.”

Stop apologizing to people who require no apology. The right-wing loves to play the victim, and all you have done is feed that mentality. It’s just sad. Shape up MSNBC. That is, if you ever truly intend on being a progressive outlet, which I doubt.