MSNBC is rebranding as MS NOW and spending millions to dress the same tired partisan content in new initials, and this piece walks through why that matters, how the launch is being framed, and five memorable moments that define the network’s decades-long tilt.
The network’s rebrand to MS NOW is being sold as a simple name change, but it’s clearly a PR exercise to paper over persistent bias. Rachel Maddow insisted, “We are not going anywhere, and we are not changing anything other than our name.” The commercial reads the Preamble to the Constitution as montage fodder, trying to swap sincerity for spin.
Executives pitch unity and warm feelings while keeping the same lineup and tone that alienated half the country. One executive described warm emotions in the campaign, saying, “When I watch the ads, I feel all the feels of hope, of community, of unity, of what I think about what it means to be an American citizen in this moment.” That kind of corporate-speak doesn’t address the core problem: the content.
MSNBC built a brand on advocacy journalism that often crossed into raw partisanship, and rebranding won’t erase decades of editorial choices. The network cultivated personalities who cheered certain leaders and hammered others, substituting opinion for balance. Viewers left and laughter replaced credibility as the market moved on.
Here are five moments that make the rebadging feel mostly cosmetic. These flashes aren’t exhaustive, but they paint a clear picture of why critics call the network a partisan shop masking itself as news.
1. Chris Matthews and the “thrill” line became shorthand for journalists losing objectivity. He said, “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often.” That giddy praise for a president should have set off alarms about detachment from straight reporting.
2. Keith Olbermann turned punditry into performative rage, repeatedly assigning moral blame and theatrical punishments to opponents. He blamed “talk radio” for the Oklahoma City bombing and named “specifically, Rush Limbaugh’s hate radio.” He added, “Frankly, Rush, you have that blood on your hands now, and you have had it for 15 years.” Labels and moral verdicts replaced evidence-based critique.
3. “Morning Joe” loyalists helped normalize forgiving failures in leadership when it suited a political preference. Joe Scarborough declared, “I’ve said it for years now, he’s cogent. But I undersold it when I said he was cogent, he’s far beyond cogent. In fact, I think he’s better than he’s ever been, intellectually, analytically, because he’s been around for 50 years.” He doubled down: “Start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And f— you if you can’t handle the truth. This version of Biden, intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever.” Those defenses read as partisan insulation more than sober analysis.
4. When commentary slides into dehumanization, consequences are predictable and serious. Matthew Dowd said of a conservative figure, “one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” That comment cost him his role, and it highlights the danger when opinion crosses into personal condemnation.
5. Joy Reid’s rhetoric often moved past critique into cultural scorn, with sweeping statements about religious and political opponents. She compared the “American evangelical right-wing movement” to “an American Taliban” and likened political followers to cult leaders, saying, “What Donald Trump is doing is equal parts the power of positive thinking, which is the church, to the extent that it’s the church that he grew up in, but it’s also it’s kind of David Koresh. It’s kind of Jim Jones. Because those two men started by saying, ‘You need to come to Jesus.’ They started as Christian evangelizers. But, eventually, their evangelism said, ‘No, I get to have your wife. No actually, I get to tell you to kill these federal agents that are outside. I’m asking you to pick up a machine gun and shoot them because I don’t want to go to jail.’” Stuff like that keeps viewers laughing rather than learning.
MS NOW may get a new logo and a slicker trailer, but the core editorial instincts are still clear. The channel’s long history of activism masquerading as journalism won’t be cured by a new font or $20 million in marketing. For anyone who values straight talk and real accountability, the rebrand is mostly a last gasp dressed up as a fresh start.
