MSNBC acquired Errol Morris' new documentary, "Separated," examining the family separation policy implemented by Donald Trump's administration, but NBC executives have decided to shelve it until after the election due to fears of offending the former president, according to journalist Oliver Darcy.
NBC News Studios acted as a producer for the possible Oscar contender, which is itself based on the 2020 nonfiction book “Separated: Inside an American Tragedy” by NBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff. MSNBC acquired it on Oct. 1, announcing the same day that it would air on December 7.
The late scheduling by NBC executives comes after MSNBC host Chris Hayes attended a screening and described the film as an "absolutely urgent" work "that truly shook" him. Sources familiar with the matter told Darcy that Rachel Maddow was also "so impressed by the documentary that she offered to play a key role in promoting it."
The decision to not air the documentary until December has rankled Morris, who had already made the rounds on the network to promote his work.
"Why is my movie not being shown on NBC prior to the election? It is not a partisan movie. It’s about a policy that was disgusting and should not be allowed to happen again. Make your own inferences," he wrote on X.
Darcy reported that Rebecca Blumenstein, president of editorial for NBC News, opposed airing “Separated” before the election because executives want Trump to agree to another presidential debate hosted by the network.
However, Stephen Labaton, NBCUniversal head of communications, maintained to Darcy that “the debate had nothing to do with the scheduling of this programming.”
The policy spotlighted by the documentary came as part of the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" approach to border crossings and resulted in more than 5,000 children being forcibly separated from their parents. At least 2,000 children have yet to be reunited with their parents.
