How is that NBC News has allowed itself to get conned by Donald Trump and (as of 11 pm Wednesday) continues to abrogate the public trust by not re-scheduling or taping-and-delaying broadcast, or canceling if Trump continues to demand the network’s obeisance? (1/7)

What’s happened here?

First Trump evades debate commission rules and protocols; then NBC allows him a town hall on equal footing with Biden, who has agreed to and followed the commission’s rules [ok, perhaps barely defensible this part]; (2/7)

But inexcusably, NBC schedules its Town Hall with Trump at exact time Biden is on ABC (reportedly at Trump’s insistence), cutting Biden’s audience and setting up a ratings war tailored for Trump to win and crow about. Esp. bc ABC has no cable outlets, like MSNBC + CNBC. (3/7)

Since JFK v. Nixon, the idea of televised presidential debates [and Town Halls] is to serve the voters—not the whims or wishes of the candidates. And to get the largest possible audience of voters/viewers. (4/7)

Not bifurcate the audience to the obvious advantage of one candidate and capitulate to that candidate’s demands. If that candidate threatens to walk away over something like this, he should be shown the door. (5/7)

I was Washington Bureau Chief for ABC in 1980-1981 when myself and CBS/NBC bureau chiefs made decisions that neither POTUS Carter nor POTUS Reagan could get free airtime from the White House for slyly political broadcasts. (6/7)

Point being that our networks would not let even the President dictate how and when we covered him: and we resisted being manipulated. Forty years after we established the principle, NBC has been manipulated and conned. (7/7)