Replies

I read on a usenet newsgroup that his show is being
taken off the air because of some conflict of interest he
had with an on-air guest that he didn't divulge (Joe
himself brought it up later and apologized). I can't
find anything to verify whether the show is being pulled,
but would like to have it confirmed or denied. It's the best show
on MSNBC, and I believe it is also their highest rated
show. Can anyone confirm Scarborough Country's status?

I read on a usenet newsgroup that his show is being taken off the air because of some conflict of interest he had with an on-air guest that he didn't divulge (Joe himself brought it up later and apologized).

He would end up on FNC somewhere.

FNC started this "Good News" reporting first of course.

No decision yet

MSNBC Host Gets Bitten by His 'Rat of the Week'
Date: 09-13-2003; Publication: The Washington Post; Author: Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer

MSNBC Host Gets Bitten by His 'Rat of the Week' Byline: Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer Edition: FINAL Section: Style
Two weeks ago, MSNBC talk show host Joe Scarborough introduced a guest, attorney Mike Papantonio, to point a finger at the "Rat of the Week."

Papantonio slammed a wood-preserving company called Osmose, saying it makes a dangerous product used in playground equipment and has "figured out how to poison our children and make a profit in the meantime."

What Scarborough didn't say is that Papantonio is his law partner, and that their firm has filed a lawsuit against Osmose. Instead, he urged viewers to demand that the government recall the company's product.

After an inquiry by The Washington Post, the former Republican congressman said last night on his program, "Scarborough Country": "I should have known that Mike Papantonio was involved in that case and should have asked him that question, so you could have had the full story. . . . I'll be the first to admit it: I made a mistake. And for that, I'm this week's Rat of the Week."

Phil Griffin, an MSNBC vice president, said what happened was "unacceptable" and that viewers "were misled. . . . It is troublesome that we didn't disclose that this guest was a law partner and had a lawsuit against this company. That's wrong from the beginning. We were not fair to the audience, and that won't happen again."

Jim Hale, executive director of the Wood Preservative Science Council, which represents Osmose, said of Scarborough: "This is what happens when you put someone on with no journalistic experience. It's the arrogance of power. This guy thinks the rules don't apply to him."

Papantonio, he added, "is coming on as a pseudo consumer advocate. As a viewer you think the person giving the information does not have a stake in it."

Papantonio did not return calls to his Pensacola, Fla. office yesterday. The firm is seeking to gain class-action status for the lawsuit, filed in Louisiana in 2001 on behalf of five individuals against several manufacturers and retailers.

Scarborough, a Florida Republican who left the House in 2001, declined to be interviewed. He said on his program that he took a leave from the law firm when he launched the MSNBC show in February, but remains a shareholder and receives a fixed stipend.

Griffin said he had not known about Scarborough's continuing compensation from the firm. Asked if that would continue, he said: "NBC News is examining every aspect of this."

While Scarborough has mentioned his connection to Papantonio during seven of his 11 appearances, he did not do so during the Aug. 29 "Rat of the Week" segment. The disclosure was on the teleprompter script. "Joe had a brain melt or was eager to move on and didn't say something that should have been said," Griffin said.

Scarborough did read a statement that night from Georgia-based Osmose, defending the record of its wood-treatment product, CCA, which is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"This product has been in use for over 70 years. And there is not one documented case of any child suffering adverse health effects from exposure to CCA or arsenic treated wood," the statement said.

Papantonio then accused the EPA of bowing to "political influence, " and Scarborough urged viewers to call the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- he gave out the number -- and demand that CCA be recalled immediately. The industry plans to phase out the product for residential use.

Hale said a "Scarborough Country" producer was apologetic when he called to complain and told him that the staff had argued against doing the segment.

Hale was granted an appearance on the show Tuesday in what Scarborough called an effort "to clear the air." But Scarborough was dismissive during the contentious interview when Hale mentioned the host's connection to Papantonio and the lawsuit's existence. "It may be shocking to you that Papantonio is my friend and law partner, but our audience has heard that a thousand times," Scarborough said.

Keywords: AE

Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer, MSNBC Host Gets Bitten by His 'Rat of the Week'. , The Washington Post, 09-13-2003, pp C01.