Does everyone Newsmax hires these days have issues of some sort? Seems like it. A May 24 press release touted Newsmax’s latest hire:
Newsmax announced today that veteran news anchor and broadcaster Greta Van Susteren will join the network as host of “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” adding her three decades of experience in journalism to the rising cable channel.
Based in Washington, D.C., and set to premiere on Tuesday, June 14, “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” will lead the network’s weeknight lineup with a solid hour of factual, fair, and independent perspective on the news.
“With all that is going on in the world, I am getting back to my roots — a daily live news show with real reporting from the places where things are happening,” Van Susteren said.
“I have been friends with [Newsmax CEO] Chris Ruddy for years, and he is giving me this great opportunity to return, giving me the complete freedom to cover the news that really matters to people,” Van Susteren said. “I have been impressed by Newsmax’s team and their success, and would love to be part of a news network that is really growing.”
[…]“No one in journalism better exemplifies Newsmax’s mission to provide fact-based news and fact-based opinion than Greta Van Susteren,” Newsmax Media CEO Chris Ruddy said. “We are so pleased and honored to have Greta lead our nightly news lineup of programs.”
Van Susteren doesn’t have as many issues as most Newsmax hires, but she does have issues. As we documented way back when, Politico reported that Van Susteren’s husband, John Coale, was among Sarah Palin’s political advisers following her 2008 stint as a Republican vice presidential candidate; the Washington Post further described Coale as among the “protecters of the Palin brand.” The Huffington Post noted that, that during her stint on Fox News, “Van Susteren has enjoyed unparalleled access to Palin and her family, conducting several interviews from Alaska — most recently with new mom Bristol Palin,” though Van Susteren insisted her husband’s link to Palin was not responsible for that.
As Van Susteren’s debut neared, Newsmax gushed even more in a June 13 press release promoted as a “news” article:
Veteran broadcaster Greta Van Susteren returns to nightly television Tuesday with her new show debuting to lead Newsmax’s evening lineup.
Van Susteren, one of the most respected names in television news, will host “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” airing at 6 p.m. every weeknight.
The signature show will be what Van Susteren describes as “a solid hour of factual, fair, and independent perspective on the news.”
Needless to say, neither press release mentioned her dubious ethics regarding Palin.