CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter and Baltimore Sun media critic David Zrawik blasted MSNBC host Joe Scarborough over the weekend for his "unashamed" bias in favor of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In a recent article for CNN Money, Dylan Byers reported that Scarborough's personal affection and public political advice for Trump had become a source of embarrassment for executives at NBC.
On Sunday's edition of Reliable Sources, Stelter noted that Scarborough's show, Morning Joe, was often referred to as Morning Trump.
"This Donald Trump-Joe Scarborough relationship, what we see on air is a very cozy relationship between the two men," Stelter explained.
"Inappropriate," Zrawik said of the relationship. "And if I had any hair, it would be on fire as I said it. Even somebody like a morning show host plays a role -- at least a quasi-journalistic role -- plays a role in setting the parameters of the national conversation around these candidates."
"You shouldn't be so involved with them that you're going down and giving them [debate] tips," he added. "It shows how unashamed Scarborough is, how proud he is of the fact that he's in the tank for him."
"He doesn't even know how damning that is to the credibility of MSNBC that almost every morning this guy gets out and behaves that way. And what about the executives at MSNBC that don't call him in and say, 'Stop it!' What's going on with that? This is outrageous!"
According to Stelter, MSNBC declined to comment about Scarborough's support for Trump.
