No Experience Necessary?

Should journalism experience be a requirement for hosting a political talk show?

MSNBC President Phil Griffin certainly doesn't think so. His hires on the liberal-leaning network include non-journalists Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Melissa Harris-Perry. His rival Fox features such non-journalist mainstays as Sean Hannity and Greta Van Susteren. Griffin isn't shy about vocalizing his strong opinions on the issue. "I'm sorry, I don't care about journalists," he said in an interview with Tampa Bay Times media writer Eric Deggans. "I want fair minded, smart people who understand the world, who can interpret it and if they're journalists, great. This notion that somehow you have to have done something to earn so-called journalist credentials? Stop." But critics fear that the proliferation of hosts with no grounding in journalistic ethics and traditions comes with a steep price.