Posted by Rita Cosby OUT after Jackson -coated Start at MSNBC – MiniBullet#32
MARCH 17 2007 – {tag Rita Cosby} "gets it", but this time it wasn’t an attention-grabbing story. What she seemingly got was "the boot" right out the door at MSNBC.
Mediabistro is reporting that Cosby’s last day will be March 31 2007, as {tag MSNBC} apparently decided not to renew her contract. This comes long after her show, Live and Direct, was canceled.
News like this ordinarily wouldn’t matter at all to me except for the fact that Cosby chose to ride the "Michael Jackson scandal" train to the launch of her then-new show at MSNBC in 2005.
On the day of her now defunct show’s debut at MSNBC, she hit the media like a whirlwind promoting the fact that two jurors – {tag Ray Hultman} and Eleanor Cook – on the trial jury were making unsubstantiated and incredibly dubious claims against Jackson and their fellow jurors.
They apparently found a sympathetic ear with Cosby. During her pre-show media blitzkrieg, she proclaimed that the two jurors seemed sincere in their magically remembered accusations. The story caused many of her media colleagues to roll their eyes.
To Cosby’s credit, she at least bothered to get Jackson’s former attorney {tag Thomas Mesereau} onto the debut show as well to respond. Many of her ilk wouldn’t have even tried to make it somewhat balanced; especially not a debut show.
After that sensationalized, buzz-worthy start, came the severe criticism from not only Jackson supporters, but prosecution supporters, media analysts, legal analysts, hack online reporters, bobbleheaded know-nothing entertainment reporters, and most of the general public who thought the jurors on Cosby’s first show were full of $hit.
The criticism was not so much about Cosby per se, though there were some people who questioned her motivations. But rather, the bulk of the criticism was leveled against the subjects of her “big get”.
Those two jurors’ stories of being “forced” by other allegedly tyrannical jurors to vote ‘Not Guilty’, seemed suspicious the moment they were made; suspicious especially in light of previous interviews they had all given together where they talked about having a strong bond and being a family.
{tag Eleanor Cook} in particular was raked over the coals after her Cosby interview because, according to fellow juror {tag Tammy Bolton}, she already had plans to write a book before the trial was even over. Bolton appeared on Court TV’s Crier Live August 8 2005 (see article and videos).
Hultman didn’t fair any better as news agencies got their hands on previous post-trial interviews he had given which directly contradicted what he told Rita Cosby.
Particularly, an interview with {tag Matt Lauer} from the {tag Today Show} was cited where he flat-out said he didn’t believe the accuser at the 2005 trial, but later changed his story when talking to Cosby.
So why did Cosby bite? Possibly because their accusations –whether they were believable or not – almost guaranteed half a million eyeballs would tune in to her MSNBC show.
Actually over half a million, 665,000 viewers, watched her first show according to Mediabistro (see "Rita Gets It," But Not As Many Viewers.
Mediabistro also reported that her second night’s rating dropped 38%, though. Cosby’s been the butt of not so favorable comments from her ex-colleagues like the vapid Don Imus and Keith ‘wannabe-Jon-Stewart’ Olbermann.
Olbermann reportedly called Cosby “dumber than a suitcase of rocks” in an email, according to Mediabistro, New York Daily News, wizbang, NewsBusters.com and slew of other sites that carried the news.
Cosby certainly deserves her fair share of ridicule. Back in December 2003 when Cosby used to work for Fox News (before her jump to MSNBC) she broke into programming "confirming" that Jackson had converted to Islam and was a member of the Nation of Islam.
The information was false. You think that mattered? Hell no.
Cosby then proceeded to provide platforms for, and push stories about, what turned out to be blatantly false information concerning Jackson’s alleged connection to the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.); accusing them of doing everything from screening his phone calls to trying to take over his finances.
On her old Fox News show, Cosby repeatedly gave platforms to people who wouldn’t have otherwise deserved to be spat on when it came to their alleged "inside scoops" about Jackson.
Cosby’s reports about alleged Nation of Islam ties were so frequent that she became known as Rita "N.O.I" Cosby in many fan communities. NOI related stories originating from Cosby’s Fox News show were then snatched up by other news agencies and spread all around the world.
The story had gotten so big that it caused Jermaine Jackson, himself Muslim, to slap them down when he appeared on {tag Larry King Live} Dec 18 2003 (see Jackson Not a Member of the Nation of Islam – MJEOL Bullet #48).
With that baggage from Fox News, Cosby jumped to MSNBC and debuted with a salacious bang. However, she obviously went out with a whimper.
Though she wasn’t the best reporter I’d ever seen, I certainly have seen my fair share of cackling, know-nothing banshees who were far worse that Cosby on her worst day.
Speaking of cackling, know-nothing banshees, Nancy Grace still has TWO shows. But I digress. So what’s next for Rita “NOI” Cosby now that MSNBC has jettisoned her from their network? Who knows? Let’s just hope she doesn’t use another fabricated Jackson scandal to get her next show off the ground.
-MJEOL