Report: NBC News Execs Thought Matt Lauer’s Forum Performance Was a ‘Disaster’

[riversedge]

27. CNNMONEY: Behind the scenes, NBC execs concede Matt Lauer forum performance was "disaster"

I hope this report is true and nbc is doing some soul searching!




Behind the scenes, NBC execs concede Matt Lauer forum performance was "disaster"


http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/media/nbc-news-forum-trump-clinton-postmortem/



by Brian Stelter @brianstelter

September 8, 2016: 3:08 PM ET




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NBC News knows the "Commander-in-Chief Forum" was not Matt Lauer's finest hour.

One executive, speaking anonymously, was blunt about it: "Disaster."

The morning after Lauer's back-to-back interviews of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, several high ranking sources at the network said they hear the criticism and agree with at least some of it.

Lauer was widely criticized for failing to fact-check or follow up when Trump falsely claimed that he was opposed to the Iraq war when it started. Some viewers thought Lauer held Clinton to a higher standard than Trump. Several people who were sitting in the audience told CNN that they were frustrated too.

The ratings for Wednesday night's forum were strong, according to preliminary data. But the reviews were pitiful. So what went wrong? That's what journalists both inside and outside NBC are asking now. There is no clear answer.

Lack of preparation is one theory.

New York Times TV critic James Poniewozik wrote Thursday that Lauer seemed "unprepared on specifics of military and foreign policy: "He performed like a soldier sent on a mission without ammunition, beginning with a disorganized offensive, ending in a humiliating retreat." ,...............