Suddenly departed MSNBC guy Cenk Uygur explained tonight on his Young Turks show why he believes MSNBC honchos didn’t invite him to stick around. One reported reason is that Al Sharpton (who may take over Uygur’s former 6 pm slot) recently drew somewhat higher ratings. Uygur doesn’t touch the Sharpton factor but to me his interpretation of MSNBC’s management mentality sounds perceptive.

“[MSNBC] didn’t want to challenge power,” he explains. “The problem with the mainstream media is they’re desperate for access, they don’t challenge the government, they don’t challenge power. And it’s one thing when they give you [that] speech and you’re not sure that it’s true, but when they act upon the speech you’re SURE that it’s true. The point of this show was truth-telling, and you’re supposed to challenge the government…that’s the role of the media.”