MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle and Chris Jansing show an understanding of their privilege that clearly makes them more credible journalists.
They acknowledge their privilege. Refreshing.
Chris Jansing gave a touching story about her family members who got COVID-19. Ultimately all worked out fine. Jansing was able to secure help and professional advice to ensure a more positive outcome.
Stephanie Ruhle interjected with a message that too often is ignored.
“I do want to ask you though watching this and hearing her story just made me think about privilege,” Stephanie Ruhle said. “You got to call Vin Gupta. I got to call Vin Gupta. We’re super lucky women with great jobs with access to health experts. What must this be like for people who don’t have families of privilege or access to anything? What is it like for the millions of Americans out there who are just suffering in silence?”
Jansing responded properly.
“I thought about that every day,” Jansing said. “First of all, again, I have a large family. So I wasn’t working on this alone. I have other brothers and sisters who have been taking this on every single day. I have the privilege of working for a company that when I said my sister is critically ill, they said go do what you need to do. There was never any question about that, and I still had a paycheck coming in. And yes, when I was making phone calls, and I made a lot of phone calls to help my sister.”
Jansing pointed out that she knew the questions to ask as a journalist. She acknowledges that most Americans have neither the support from their companies or a social safety net to fall back on at all.
“Few other families in this country have the ability to do that,” Jansing lamented. “And we’re 10 months in, and we’re talking about the same problems we talked about these disparities Stephanie at the start.”