On Friday
afternoon, media reports emerged about my friend Melissa Harris-Perry’s
refusal to host her eponymous weekend program on MSNBC on Saturday. I
was one of the original producers on the show when it launched in 2012,
leaving for another job in 2015. Dr. Harris-Perry asked me today to
publish the note she sent to her staff — most of whom are my former
colleagues — informing them of her decision. You can read it in full
below.
#nerdland, forever.
Jamil
—
Dearest Nerds,
As
you know by now, my name appears on the weekend schedule for MSNBC
programming from South Carolina this Saturday and Sunday. I appreciate
that many of you responded to this development with relief and
enthusiasm. To know that you have missed working with me even a fraction
of how much I’ve missed working with all of you is deeply moving.
However, as of this morning, I do not have any intention of hosting this
weekend. Because this is a decision that affects all of you, I wanted
to take a moment to explain my reasoning.
Some
unknown decision-maker, presumably Andy Lack or Phil Griffin, has added
my name to this spreadsheet, but nothing has changed in the posture of
the MSNBC leadership team toward me or toward our show. Putting me on
air seems to be a decision being made solely to save face because there
is a growing chorus of questions from our viewers about my notable
absence from MSNBC coverage. Social media has noted the dramatic change
in editorial tone and racial composition of MSNBC’s on-air coverage. In
addition, Dylan Byers of CNN has made repeated inquiries with MSNBC’s
leadership and with me about the show and what appears to be its
cancellation. I have not responded to reporters or social media
inquiries. However, I am not willing to appear on air in order to quell
concerns about the disappearance of our show and our voice.
Here
is the reality: our show was taken — without comment or discussion or
notice — in the midst of an election season. After four years of
building an audience, developing a brand, and developing trust with our
viewers, we were effectively and utterly silenced. Now, MSNBC would like
me to appear for four inconsequential hours to read news that they deem
relevant without returning to our team any of the editorial control and
authority that makes MHP Show distinctive.
The
purpose of this decision seems to be to provide cover for MSNBC, not to
provide voice for MHP Show. I will not be used as a tool for their
purposes. I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head. I am not
owned by Lack, Griffin, or MSNBC. I love our show. I want it back. I
have wept more tears than I can count and I find this deeply painful,
but I don’t want back on air at any cost. I am only willing to return
when that return happens under certain terms.
Undoubtedly,
television nurtures the egos of those of us who find ourselves in front
of bright lights and big cameras. I am sure ego is informing my own
pain in this moment, but there is a level of professional decency,
respect, and communication that has been denied this show for years. And
the utter insulting absurdity of the past few weeks exceeds anything I
can countenance.
I
have stayed in the same hotels where MSNBC has been broadcasting in
Iowa, in New Hampshire, and in South Carolina, yet I have been shut out
from coverage. I have a PhD in political science and have taught
American voting and elections at some of the nation’s top universities
for nearly two decades, yet I have been deemed less worthy to weigh in
than relative novices and certified liars. I have hosted a weekly
program on this network for four years and contributed to election
coverage on this network for nearly eight years, but no one on the third
floor has even returned an email, called me, or initiated or responded
to any communication of any kind from me for nearly a month. It is
profoundly hurtful to realize that I work for people who find my
considerable expertise and editorial judgment valueless to the coverage
they are creating.
While
MSNBC may believe that I am worthless, I know better. I know who I am. I
know why MHP Show is unique and valuable. I will not sell short myself
or this show. I am not hungry for empty airtime. I care only about
substantive, meaningful, and autonomous work. When we can do that, I
will return — not a moment earlier. I am deeply sorry for the ways that
this decision makes life harder for all of you. You mean more to me than
you can imagine.
Yours always,
Melissa
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