Sins of Omission

MSNBC Repeatedly Failed to Identify Guests' Ties to Energy Lobby During Discussions of Energy Policy

Washington, DC -- Today Media Matters for America called on MSNBC to correct the public record and explain why, on two separate occasions over the past 10 days, current and former energy industry lobbyists were hosted for on-air discussions of energy policy without noting their ties to the industry.

"These sins of omission are too glaring to go unchallenged and uncorrected," said Karl Frisch, a spokesman for Media Matters. "To host these men for discussions on an issue as important as our nation's energy policy without first letting viewers know of their work on behalf of the energy industry is akin to journalistic malpractice. Instead of playing it straight with full disclosure, they've been pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people. MSNBC has an obligation to correct the public record and make sure this doesn't happen again."

In two separate segments on energy policy aired over the past 10 days, MSNBC failed to disclose three guest commentators' ties to the energy lobby. On Tuesday, NBC News foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell hosted Frank Donatelli, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, on MSNBC Live to discuss Sen. John McCain's call to end the moratorium on offshore oil drilling, but did not mention that Donatelli previously lobbied for ExxonMobil Corp. and Dominion Resources. Last week, Mitchell hosted former Sens. John Breaux (D-LA) and Trent Lott (R-MS) to discuss energy policy, but failed to identify them as lobbyists who currently represent Chevron, Shell, and Plains Exploration & Production Co.

Flashback to Media Military Analysts Scandal: These omissions come on the heels of a New York Times exposé that detailed the hidden connection between numerous media military analysts and the Pentagon and the defense industry -- relationships rarely disclosed by the news outlets employing these analysts during their on-air appearances. The Times reported that "the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform" media military analysts "into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." To date, little media coverage has been paid to the findings of the Times report. (More Details -- CLICK HERE)

BACKGROUND:

MSNBC hosted "McCain supporter" Frank Donatelli to discuss offshore oil drilling, did not mention his former post as energy lobbyist (Video & Transcript -- CLICK HERE)

Summary: On MSNBC Live, Andrea Mitchell discussed Sen. John McCain's call to end the moratorium on offshore oil drilling with RNC deputy chairman Frank Donatelli, but did not mention that Donatelli was a registered lobbyist for energy sector clients ExxonMobil and Dominion Resources before joining the RNC.

MSNBC hosted Breaux and Lott to defend oil and gas companies -- but failed to note they're lobbyists for them (Video & Transcript -- CLICK HERE)

Summary: On MSNBC Live, Andrea Mitchell discussed energy policy with former Sens. John Breaux and Trent Lott but failed to disclose that both are lobbyists for major oil and gas companies. While Mitchell said that Lott and Breaux "formed a firm" together, she did not note that their firm conducts lobbying or that its clients include oil and gas companies Chevron, Shell, and Plains Exploration & Production Co.