MSNBC Host Had To Receive Permission To Criticize Hillary Clinton

MSNBC required a host to receive permission before criticizing Hillary Clinton leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Krystal Ball now co-hosts "Breaking Points," one of the more honest podcasts on the internet. Ball hosted "The Cycle" on MSNBC before her independence.

In 2014, then-MSNBC President Phil Griffin reprimanded her for urging then-Sen. Clinton (D-NY) to not seek the Democratic Party nomination for president.

Ball, 41, explained the incident to Joe Rogan on his podcast this week:

"I did this whole thing that was like, ' sold out to Wall Street. People are gonna hate this lady. She's like the terrible candidate for the moment. Please don't run.

I was allowed to say it. I deliver my thing. I did it exactly how I wanted to do it.”

Afterwards, I get pulled into an office and you know , ‘Great monologue, everything’s fine. But next time you do any commentary on Hillary Clinton, it has to get approved by the president of the network."

The president of a network had to approve any further criticism of a presidential candidate from there. Say it aloud as the press continues to call MSNBC a "news" network.

Readers might wonder if Krystal Ball was the only personality who had to abide by said policy. But it's important to consider that Ball was among the only notable hosts who would ever dare criticize Hillary.

The channel didn't need to make the edict company-wide as the rest of its hosts are instruments for the Democratic Party's desire to suppress the spread of information.

Few candidates had ever received the type of coddling from MSNBC that Hillary did from 2014 to 2016. Or even in 2023 as the network continues to deny the result of the 2016 election.

Common Practice For MSNBC, Others

Criticizing most prominent Democrats is an unwritten rule at liberal networks. It goes without saying subjects like Hillary, AOC, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi are off limits at MSNBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC until told otherwise.

Krystal Ball violated the silent policy.

Ironically, someone like Ball is what MSNBC lacks today, as its ratings crater.

The network is sans a signature weekday personality since Rachel Maddow moved to just one day per week last year, to the viewership detriment of the network.

In 2022, MSNBC lost 22 percent of its audience. The channel also lags behind even CNN in the key 18-49 demographic, declining 40% from 2021.

Notably, MSNBC suffered the drought during an election year.

Ball gave MSNBC an unpredictable voice. Someone who does not drain their talent in corporate talking points. She is far more appealing than Joy Reid, Symone Sanders, or Joe and Mika in the morning.

But, she's not hyper-partisan. She did not pledge her allegiance to the social justice brigade.

MSNBC doesn't approve of such independent thinking.

Rather, the network has pivoted entirely to please a small subsection of the population -- a group perpetually offended, guilty of their whiteness, and vulnerable to manipulation in the form of hysteria.

MSNBC hosts are idolaters of people like her:

Written by
Bobby Burack is a writer for OutKick where he reports and analyzes the latest topics in media, culture, sports, and politics.. Burack has become a prominent voice in media and has been featured on several shows across OutKick and industry related podcasts and radio stations.