Psaki’s MSNBC Show Receives Primetime Slot For Election Season
Throughout the Biden administration, critics have frequently claimed that much of the mainstream media appeared to be serving as a de facto White House mouthpiece.
MSNBC left little room for doubt when the cable news network decided to hire ex-White House press secretary Jen Psaki as one of its on-air personalities. Thus far, her show has been airing only on Sundays at noon ET, but that is about to change as the 2024 presidential race heats up.
According to reports, “Inside with Jen Psaki” will also begin airing primetime episodes on Monday starting Sept. 25, and there are also plans in the works for “new, original episodes” to air Thursdays, exclusively on the streaming platform Peacock.
MSNBC touted Psaki’s expanded role on the network in a press release, asserting: “As the 2024 presidential race continues to take shape, Psaki — who joined MSNBC in Oct. 2022 — has contributed to MSNBC’s election and special coverage programming, bringing her expertise in government and the campaign trail to the network’s primetime viewers during major breaking news and political events.”
Of course, Psaki is not the first former presidential spokesperson to capitalize on that experience by landing a network or cable news gig. For example, Nicolle Wallace, who served as communications director during the George W. Bush administration, also hosts an MSNBC show.
Nevertheless, Psaki faced significant criticism — including from mainstream media reporters — when news about her MSNBC job offer leaked before she stepped down from her White House position.
CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe confronted her during a press conference in April 2022, asking: “Is it ethical for you to continue conducting this job while negotiating with the media?”
Psaki refused to confirm or deny the status of her negotiations at the time, but claimed that she had “always gone over and above the stringent ethical and legal requirements of the Biden administration” and “received rigorous ethics counseling, including as it relates to any future employment.”
Her response was not sufficient for other reporters in the room, including NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker.
“How is it ethical to have these conversations with media outlets while you continue to have a job standing behind that?” she asked.
“Well, there are a range of stringent ethical and legal requirements that are imposed on everybody in this administration and many administrations past about any conversations you’re having with future employers,” Psaki replied.
