Why NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent’s condemnation of Donald Trump is a big moment

[Commentary ] Pundits, tabloids and bloggers have had Donald Trump on blast for quite some time now. But whether the Republican presidential front-runner likes to admit it or not, many journalists have been working very hard to remain neutral when covering him. NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel belongs in that camp, yet even he is shaking his head publicly after Trump's call for the United States to block all Muslims from entering the country. "This is really not the country that I know," he said on MSNBC Dec 7. He continued: "The world sees the leading political candidate from one party making these kind of statements and still doing well and having these rallies...Those are going around the world right now, and people realize this person is leading in the polls."

Engel represents something bigger here -- the fact that the press is at a crossroads in its coverage of Trump's campaign. Trump's poll numbers suggest that he speaks for a not-insignificant chunk of the electorate; that alone means he should be handled like a viable presidential candidate. But even the most professional journalists have consciences, too. It looks to me like we'll be hearing from their little shoulder angels more often.