Pros
The office was generally fun and the staff were engaging. It’s a great place for people who love current events, fast-passed research, and want a career in conservative media. I learned a great deal about journalism and writing in general, and others in my department invested in my growth. I could tell my manager cared about me and my professional development, prioritized my work/life balance, and was committed to creating as good a work environment as possible for their team.
Cons
By it’s very nature, the work at MRC is mentally and emotionally exhausting - the focus is primarily on finding negative stories to enrage readers and get social media traction, thus staff develop a permanent state of critical skepticism. I witnessed spiraling depression and increasing paranoia among some staff the longer they remained at MRC. When Trump became the Republican front runner in the 2016 election, MRC abandoned its mission in order to appease pro-Trump donors. Staff were told to stop acknowledging instances of fair news coverage, adopt a more combative tone, and focus on stories that Trump supporters would value. MRC’s approach became, “go for the fastest, cheapest, most sensational take.” With the exception of occasional lengthier studies, MRC prioritized quantity over quality, often promoting bad-faith interpretations or misunderstandings and pushing writers to assume the worst about their subjects. The office structure is rigidly hierarchical, where the president is chronically indulged and often treats the organization as a vehicle for pushing his personal whims. On at least one occasion I heard the president threaten to fire an employee and sabotage their job hunt when they said something he did not like.