MSNBC host Katy Tur is facing criticism after lamenting the decline of traditional media āgatekeepersā during a Friday interview that focused on misinformation, President Donald Trump, and the modern media landscape.
During her MSNBC Reports program, Tur spoke with network legal analyst Andrew Weissmann about his new anti-Trump book, Liarās Kingdom, where the two discussed whether American institutions are equipped to deal with politicians who spread false or misleading information.
The conversation quickly turned into a broader critique of social media and alternative media platforms that have increasingly challenged the influence once held by major television networks and newspapers.
āAnd youāre talking about something that weāre really vulnerable to,ā Tur said. āAnd I donāt know what the solution is. Part of the free speech in this country is that anyone can say anything, and that includes, to our dismay, our officials and the President of the United States.ā
She then asked Weissmann how Trump allegedly uses that environment to his advantage and why it is āso detrimental.ā
Weissmann argued that legal systems in the United States are often limited in how they can respond to political deception, especially compared to those in some other countries. He also pointed to figures like Rudy Giuliani and Paul Manafort as examples of Trump allies who faced legal consequences in certain cases.
Tur later speculated about whether Americaās founding ideals may have contributed to a system where leaders are trusted too much to regulate themselves honestly.
āSo what do you think it is?ā Tur asked. āIs it that we were more idealistic when we founded this nation? The idea that we would have leaders that werenāt corrupt kings or queens?ā
Weissmann responded by arguing that the media environment itself has fundamentally changed. He said the traditional belief that false statements would eventually be corrected through public debate no longer works in what he described as a fragmented media ecosystem.
āThe world of the media has changed so much, and itās so balkanized,ā Weissmann said. āThe old view, which was, āDonāt worry, a false statement will be corrected by a truthful statement and it will come out in the washā ā we are seeing that thereās so many media bubbles that that idea isnāt something that we really can live by now.ā
Tur appeared to agree, suggesting there were advantages to an era when a smaller number of major media organizations largely controlled political coverage and public narratives.
āPart of the benefit of having gatekeepers ā and thereās all sorts of benefits and pros and cons here ā but part of the benefit of having the gatekeepers and only a handful of media outlets out there was that politicians were held accountable for their public statements,ā Tur said.
She added that politicians can now bypass traditional media entirely through social media platforms and supportive independent outlets.
āThey couldnāt just do an end run around us on social media or Twitter, and then have that amplified by their own supporters masquerading as journalists,ā she continued. āWeāve lost that, unfortunately.ā
The comments quickly drew backlash from conservatives and critics of mainstream media, who argued Turās remarks reflected frustration over the decline of legacy media influence rather than genuine concern about misinformation. Critics also pointed to examples where major media outlets were accused of downplaying or ignoring stories damaging to Democrats while aggressively scrutinizing Republicans.
For years, conservatives have argued that alternative media platforms and independent journalism emerged precisely because many Americans no longer trusted major news organizations to report fairly on political issues. The rise of podcasts, digital outlets, social media commentators, and independent reporters has dramatically changed how voters consume information.
Weissmann concluded the segment by warning that future politicians could follow Trumpās model if institutions fail to adapt to the changing media environment.