In the early years of MSNBC, MSNBC had the high ground of resembling a traditional news organization and keeping most overt liberal bias from their programs. Remember it had a show about the Internet called “The Site” with Soledad O’Brien? That now clearly isn’t the case. In my book Does This News Make Me Look Fat?, I talk about the evolution of MSNBC from traditional news organization to now Democratic organ and the openly liberal Doppelganger of Fox News. A change mostly driven by MSNBC’s lust for Fox News’ success and ratings. My book talks about how MSNBC hired a bunch of conservative voices (like Alan Keyes an Michael Savage) to be like Fox but the ideology attempt failed and only Joe Scarborough stuck. And he can barely be called a Republican as moderates are an endangered species in the GOP.

Most of MSNBC anchors are not really journalists anymore, but like Fox, guys that are “just saying,” (no real beat journalism or subject matter experience) on a variety of topics. Just people who read an article from the Associated Press and have a microphone to do improv on it. Including being allowed to bring gossip, innuendo, and hearsay into the mix. The only difference is MSNBC might hold up a few more honest slide charts. Plus they now seem to be taking on Fox’s theatrical devices, like ambushing and confronting GOP people on their I-don’t-like-you-list for show and sport. Michele Bachmann can attest to that. Chris Mathews seems to have really gone with the ball on this one this week at the GOP Convention. He wasn’t a favorite of Republicans. Less so now.

In Friday’s New York Times, Alessandra Stanley also talks about MSNBC’s transformation into a liberal blowhard. MSNBC, an outlet I can’t personally stand to watch much anymore. Though I don’t think MSNBC is not wholly dishonest in their programming-or not to the level of Fox which totally embraces news as emotional entertainment and ideological slaps on the back, I can’t barely stand the perpetual smirk that that barely conceals the righteousness of its MSNBC personality hosts and the stench its puts on their news stories.

For me, and I suspect for others, it keeps me from taking a lot of their shows too seriously. Bombastic and self-righteousness accompanying news stories that feels like spitting in my news food. I’m sure ratings would suffer, but I’d like what you are serving little more if you’d stop doing that.