In a extremely uncommon transfer, MSNBC determined to not air its flagship political morning present, Morning Joe, on Monday morning—with the Republican Nationwide Conference opening in Milwaukee. The community remained in breaking information protection following the weekend taking pictures at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.

An individual acquainted with the community’s resolution informed CNN “that the choice was made to keep away from a situation by which one of many present’s secure of two dozen-plus visitors may make an inappropriate touch upon stay tv that could possibly be used to assail this system and community as an entire,” the community reported. “Given the breaking information nature of the story, the particular person mentioned, it made extra sense to proceed airing rolling breaking information protection within the fraught political second.”

It’s arduous to overstate the importance of a cable information community selecting to not air one in every of its most influential exhibits at a time of excessive viewer engagement and viewership. Viewers anticipate to see the community’s prime hosts on the anchor desk throughout main information, and Morning Joe’s viewers embody high-level gamers in each events, together with one Joe Biden, who reportedly watches nearly each morning.

In a quick assertion posted to the Morning Joe account on X, the social media platform previously referred to as Twitter, the community mentioned “recurrently scheduled Morning Joe will return on Tuesday.”

Cable information veteran Roland Martin mentioned in a put up on X “I’m shocked” by the choice to tug Morning Joe. “MSNBC management has pulled their flagship morning present Morning Joe at present, on the primary day of the GOP conference. I’m positive (co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski) and their crew is shocked by this resolution. It’s completely perplexing to me. So are they pulling all primetime exhibits too?”

The suggestion that MSNBC determined {that a} visitor on Morning Joe—well-known for its rotating solid of politicos, former elected officers and journalists—may say one thing so explosive or offensive as to break the community does elevate questions. Is that not a danger on any present, any day, so long as this system airs stay? Are there some tales so vital that political commentary can’t be aired?

Certainly, there’s a danger even in rolling breaking information protection that somebody—a journalist, anchor, or particular person being interviewed—may say one thing the community would slightly they not say.

So what makes Morning Joe a lot extra harmful—so dangerous that MSNBC would slightly offend its star hosts, present group and constant viewers by making such a public vote of no confidence?

For a long-standing and excessive profile present like Morning Joe, there are few actual high-wire moments. Producers and hosts know their visitors effectively, and might simply determine the unfastened cannons whose feedback could make stay tv extremely entertaining, however may not be the perfect visitor following a traumatic nationwide occasion. Skilled hosts like Brzezinski and Scarborough would haven’t any qualms about chopping off a visitor who started to say one thing extremely offensive.

That MSNBC didn’t consider its personal individuals may preserve management of their very own extremely profitable present is telling—and troubling. And what precisely does the community thinks goes to occur by tomorrow morning? If it’s protected to air Morning Joe Tuesday, then it’s arduous to grasp why it was not protected to air on Monday.

The unpredictability of stay tv is one in every of its elementary strengths. It’s one of many issues that makes watching a present like Morning Joe entertaining. It’s not scripted. It’s not edited. It’s a stay dialog that always options extremely opinionated visitors in battle with different extremely opinionated visitors. If that’s too scary for MSNBC in instances of breaking information—or simply on Mondays—then maybe they need to take into account recording all of their exhibits and having them reviewed by a group of attorneys who may resolve what’s protected to air and what must be edited out?

That’s enjoying it protected. However after all, overlaying stay information and politics is unpredictable, messy, and dangerous. If you happen to can’t function with that stage of danger, perhaps take into account dwelling renovation exhibits as a substitute?