In recent weeks, Rev. Al Sharpton has come under fire for receiving donations from the Kamala Harris campaign, prompting a coalition of black churches to call for MSNBC to suspend and investigate the commentator. Prior to the election, Sharpton’s nonprofit organization received $500,000 from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, after which Sharpton hosted a glowing interview with the Democratic presidential candidate.
The National Black Church Initiative claims Sharpton should be held accountable for what they describe as placing a “moral stain on the integrity” of the black community. “This type of action puts a moral stain on the integrity of the Black Church,” the National Black Church Initiative said earlier this week, calling on MSNBC to investigate the Harris campaign’s donation
“We will support Rev. Sharpton’s suspension until the investigation is complete,” the coalition further stated. “In all the talk about the threat to our democracy, someone forgot to articulate that free, open, objective, and transparent press is an essential component of the building blocks to preserve our democracy’s integrity.”
Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, said in the statement, “Rev. Sharpton is loved and admired by many in our coalition, but that does [not] take away from the fact he is facing significant moral and journalism ethics [concerns] regarding this payment or donation to the National Action Network. We will continue to pray for him.”
Sharpton has also faced criticism from media ethics organizations, such as the Society of Professional Journalists, which claimed the money’s acceptance presents a conflict of interest. The group said it “builds distrust among their audiences and places a black eye on both their network and the profession.”
“This kind of entanglement harms the credibility of the journalist, the news organization, and journalism overall, and credibility is difficult to restore,” the ethics group added. “While Sharpton may not consider himself a journalist, many viewers do.”
The American Tribune previously reported on the Al Sharpton controversy where others also insisted a substantial conflict of interest was created from the acceptance of the money. According to conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, “I’m dying from the conflict of interest. I’m dead… The bias is coming out of the ears. This is so irresponsible, unethical, and not allowed. It is so egregious… You cannot make a donation to an anchor’s charity on the side of $500,000 as a presidential candidate, then go sit with the anchor and he didn’t disclose it… This is not a news organization, but they continue to masquerade as one.” The Tribune added context around the terms of the payments:
MSNBC anchor and progressive activist Rev. Al Sharpton reportedly received $500,000 from the Kamala Harris campaign before praising the former presidential candidate in an interview he hosted. According to reports, Shaprton received two lump sum payments of $250,000 to his charity, one in September and the other in October.
The Daily Mail reported on the donations disclosed in campaign finance statements following Vice President Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump. Sharpton was a major proponent of Harris leading up to the election while hosting a friendly interview with her.
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