MSNBC opinion host Rachel Maddow’s debate presence was ‘a loss for journalism,’ critic says

Left-wing MSNBC host Rachel Maddow may be too biased for The New York Times, but she was front and center during NBC’s technical-issue-plagued debate between 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls -- and critics say it made for a softball fest that was "a loss for journalism and a lost opportunity for media balance." With Maddow and Chuck Todd, the NBC News star who began his career as a top aide to liberal former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, asking most of the questions, none of the 10 candidates were tested rigorously. Debate moderators are historically straight-news journalists, as opposed to partisan pundits but NBC News decided Maddow, on whose show New York Times reporters are forbidden to appear, was fit to grill presidential hopefuls in an event further tarnished by embarrassing audio glitches.-- More...