Chuck Todd admits he's not good at his job in Rolling Stone interview

[Dennis Donovan]

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Jay Rosen ✔ @jayrosen_nyu

This is a remarkable interview with Chuck Todd. He admits several times he has been naive about the Republicans' commitment to disinformation.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-disinformation-spreads-according-to-chuck-todd-interview-929912/
Chuck Todd
How Disinformation Spreads, According to Chuck Todd
Chuck Todd has had a front-row seat for the spread of disinformation, here’s how he sees it spreading and the media’s role in it.
rollingstone.com

11:57 PM - Dec 24, 2019

Chuck, your WHOLE job as a journalist is to ferret out truth. Get off your ass and RESEARCH what dumb things they're saying elsewhere before they land on your show. Do some prep...

[pwb]

1. I agree he is awful.

He allows ranting and never ask the correct follow up questions. He is hard to watch..

[PCIntern]

2. He is, to quote my father of blessed memory:

“A stupid sonofabitch”

[panader0]

20. My late father's favorite put-down was

"Never heard of him!"

[rurallib]

3. surprised his bosses don't do something about it

Guess MSNBC needs someone on team Trump?

[CatMor]

4. He is right for once.

[empedocles]

25. Good One

[Bev54]

51. He is right

And he is the one that allows them to spew disinformation (lies) unchallenged. He is terrible at his job.

[gab13by13]

5. I used to do the very same skowl that Chuck does,

only I did it when I was a kid when my grandma made me take Castor oil.

[hlthe2b]

6. There is no one more "in the beltway" than Todd. And when he does his roundtables FULL of

equally clueless beltway only figures, they all start talking in some "in-the-know" shorthand that I find especially offensive, though I, like most DUers am knowledgable enough to know or surmise what they are talking about.

Seeing him turn on this staccato and clipped "don't bother to even finish your sentence" speech with others at the table--usually echoing as "truth" some RW meme or beltway "truism" is beyond annoying.

I occasionally see David Gregory on CNN now. Yes, he was sort of boring when he hosted MTP, but at least he wasn't a total hack.

[True Blue American]

9. David is head and shoulders above Todd.

He is talented, intelligent, funny. CNN was smart to catch him.

MSNBC has few left worth watching. O’ Donnell, Ali, David Guru, Nicolle.

The rest just parrot the same thing, show after show.

[jaysunb]

43. I still think John Harwood should have gotten that job. Nt

[True Blue American]

44. John would have been perfect.

[dlk]

7. If Todd was a woman, he would have been fired ages ago

Another sad example of privilege.

[StarfishSaver]

40. Not true

If Todd were a woman, he wouldn't have gotten the job in the first place

[True Blue American]

8. That is the problem.

Chuck is not a journalist. He is a hack who managed to squeeze his way in by sucking up.

He is not naive, he is ignorant. Much like Scarborough. Joe lies as much as Trump does about his past. He helped put his dear friend, Donald in office. So did MIka.

[ProfessorGAC]

30. He Started Out...

...aspiring to work in the Atwater camp.
Scrubbed from his Wiki page, but I remember it, Chuckie.

[True Blue American]

41. Did not know that but wondered

How he found his way into management with a high school education.

[JHB]

42. Do you remember around when it was you saw it?

Odds are it's still in the page's edit history.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. Back In The 90s

It was widely acknowledged back when he was still just a "political reporter". But, taking 20 years ago or more, so don't remember where I first read about it.

[Wellstone ruled]

46. Spot on!

And we now see why Comcast hired him as their Vice President of Political Affairs.

It's called having a malleable character trait that can be molded to a form that has our best interests in mind.

Just thing Play Dough.

Hunch is,he buys lip gloss by the gross.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Must be a thing with white conservative types.

Everyone else realizes they are capable of lying. We are the usual targets of those lies because they think we don’t count.

[Mike Nelson]

11. I don't know what it is, but...

... he missed his calling. I assume the suits like his search for "the center," even while he finds it where none exists.

[dalton99a]

12. He only cares about power and glory, not truth

[doc03]

13. He is better than David Gregory. nt

[marble falls]

14. We all already knew that.

[3Hotdogs]

15. That's why he keeps the job.

Dog forbid anyone actually exposes the greed and corruption in Washington.

[jayschool2013]

16. He's not a journalist

No matter how many times he calls himself that.

He's a host.

I've taught journalism for 29.5 years now, and about 10 years ago, during the mandatory "who-are-you-and-why-are-you-in-this-class" section of the first day, I started hearing students say "I want to be a 'host'."

I had to ask initially what the hell they were talking about.

They were talking about the Chuck Todds and the Sean Hannitys of the world.

It's a thing now. I tell them they should be political science or home economics majors.

[empedocles]

26. Yep

[greatauntoftriplets]

33. As a J-school grad, I agree.

[47of74]

17. Or as I call him, F--k Todd

[NCjack]

36. You just erased his first name from my memory. nt

[Paladin]

18. You want to know who's REALLY naive, Chuckie?

NBC/MSNBC, for keeping your big-money, Democratic-sabotaging ass on the air a day longer.

[NoMoreRepugs]

19. If you aren't bright enough to see what's right in front

of you you are stealing your paycheck as a so called “journalist.”

[B Stieg]

21. Todd is a stooge...

who surrounds himself with other stooges, mostly from the American Enterprise Institute.
I admit that's when the mute comes on...

[Roy Rolling]

22. He does a job for pay

It’s employment, not a calling. He admitted he lacked the skills to combat more experienced propagandists. i can live with that. Sometimes he’s been steamrolled by guests.

But a few times, he’s poked the bear. Not enough, but sometimes he gets fired up because he senses he’s being played.

I just hope he gets smarter at dealing with propagandists. Not even the Republicans reciting the propaganda know how to counterpunch when confronted. They melt like snowflakes. They’ve been paid to recite the talking points, and have no defense planned.

[usaf-vet]

23. Then go the hell away. If you are not part of the solution. YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

What a ridiculous admission. I'm not doing my job the way I should but as long as the idiots watch then the other idiots with the checkbook will continue paying me.

[barbtries]

24. then fucking get better

or get out.

[empedocles]

27. Maybe he is one of those 'middlings' who is starting to see more clearly.

[Volaris]

28. Then fire his ass and let Rachel run MTP.

Lol or Keith...how much fun would that be!?!?

[PatrickforO]

29. Maybe too little too late.

But good topic.

Maybe should have done it in 2016 and actively fact checked and fought every lie? Just saying...

[MrScorpio]

31. Chuck is a Republican Useful Idiot

It’s about time he recognized it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. To be fair to Chuck, a lot of them were naive about the GOP disinformation campaign.

He wasn't the only one. I hope he and the rest of the media have finally figured out that both sides don't do it.

[paleotn]

34. For once, Todd, you're 100% right.

Two bigger questions are how did you get that job and how the hell do you keep it? The usual answers and this is most certainly NOT a meritocracy. We're actually living out idiocracy.

[Vinca]

35. Chuck should be replaced, end of story.

I'd suggest Rachel, but I don't want to lose her at 9 every night.

[oasis]

37. Chuck still gets the big paycheck so, all is well in his book. nt

[Takket]

38. if you look up false equivalency and both-sides-erism in the dictionary........

his picture is next to them both. they guy is a menace to journalism........

Todd's world:

republican: *kills and eats a puppy on live TV*

Democrat: We should respect puppies

Todd to roundtable: Why are both sides politicizing this issue instead of listening to voters?

[old guy]

39. I feel vindicated.

[Golden Raisin]

45. Lawrence E. Spivak turning in his grave.

[liberaltrucker]

47. From the N.S. Sherlock Institute for the Glaringly Obvious

nt

[Locutusofborg]

48. Meet The Press finishes first in the ratings

Just about every week so ol' "bad at his job" Todd isn't going anywhere. Chuck uses the old Michael Jordan maxim: "Republicans buy sneakers too." Chuck isn't about to totally alienate a potential half of the viewing audience.

[Paladin]

50. "OH, PLEASE, DUDE. GET FUCKED."

Concluding line from Liz Dye's savage takedown of Todd, in Wonkette.com. Very much worth your time.

[DangerousRhythm]

52. Tell me something I didn't already know, Chuck.

I can’t watch him. He annoys the hell out of me. Even his face annoys me.

[Glimmer of Hope]

53. Duh.

[BootinUp]

54. I'm still gonna wait for reviews b4 I watch it. Nt

[Hassler]

55. Toad is paid not to interfere with GOP lies. He's paid to enable them.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

56. I think that's too kind