Letter to the editor: McDaniel ouster reminiscent of blacklisting

I do not know anything about Ronna McDaniel other than a job offer was rescinded due to feedback from co-workers based on her past political party affiliation, not her job performance. In my opinion, reporting the news should be 100% free of political leanings. It should not matter if a reporter or network executives are registered Democrats or Republicans, socialists or independents. For those of us old enough to remember the TV show “Dragnet,” as Sgt. Joe Friday always said, “Just the facts.”

This reminds me of the bad old “blacklist” days of the 1950s when Americans were questioned about their liberal views. Many people lost careers, friends and reputations; some lost their lives because they were blacklisted for their political beliefs.

America is a free country; people have the right to choose a political viewpoint, their religion, etc. Now, in the 21st century, it appears that we have not learned anything from the mistakes of 70 years ago. So you have to be a member of a particular political party to work at NBC to report the news? Professional journalists should not allow their personal feelings to affect their reporting. A network should not reflect the political views of its owners/executives. Its purpose is to accurately report the news.

Russell Dejulio

Mt. Lebanon