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The cameras at MSNBC are equipped with spittle guards. Update to this previous story. Click MSNBC hosts name to access video interview.
MSNBC’s Ed Schultz grew impatient Tuesday evening as he and a guest battled over whether Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act discriminates against gays, prompting the increasingly agitated cable news host at one point to cut off his guest’s microphone.[…]
But Schultz isn’t unique among MSNBC notables for having silenced a differing viewpoint during a contentious debate.
In fact, the left-leaning network has a bit of a history of hosts silencing guests during prickly and tense debates.
1. Contessa Brewer versus conservative talk show host.
MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer at the conclusion of a disagreeable 2009 interview with talk radio host John Ziegler found herself fed up with his remarks, asking her producers eventually to cut his microphone.
2. Former host Dylan Rattigan versus Tea Party activist.
Former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan in 2010 got into a heated debate with conservative activist Mark Williams over whether the Tea Party accepts “wingnuts.”
“Well that’s real simple. There’s wingnuts and there’s normal people,” Williams said.
3. Joe Scarborough versus Lawrence O’Donnell.
“Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough in 2010 wasn’t able to cut off MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell’s audio feed, so he did the next best thing: The former Florida congressman spoke loudly into his own microphone and told his producers to go to a commercial break.
4. Ex-host Tamron Hall versus the Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney.
The Examiner’s Tim Carney appeared on MSNBC during the 2012 election to discuss, among other things, a Washington Post story detailing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s supposed past as a high school bully.
Then-MSNBC host Tamron Hall was was not at all impressed when Carney accused her of overhyping the bully story and then claiming, “people are talking about it.”