It's been about a week since NBC fired former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel just days after hiring her as a contributor.The network drew a ton of backlash for the decision after it aired an interview with McDaniel done by Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, in which McDaniel openly criticized the Republican party and reversed course on some claims she made in the years after the 2020 election.So why was she hired? And what does this politics-to-pundit pipeline say about the state of our democracy? We examine the role of television networks that the media plays in our elections and governance.We also take a look at the role social media plays in moderating what kind of political information makes its way to our screens.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy