Mika Brzezinski On Women TVNewsers: “A Constant Battle To Be Taken Seriously”

Mika Brzezinski is interviewed by USA Weekend‘s Carol Clurman. Excerpts:

• On whether there are still hurdles facing women in the TV news industry: “Yeah. It is a constant battle to be taken seriously. I’m talking about the viewers who write in about my hair or my weight. The problem is our society, our viewers. I would look at our viewers and start there with misogyny.”

• On finding a good fit as co-host of Morning Joe: “On our show, I found an outlet where I can be a little imperfect and a little bitter — but be a little smart, too. I used to have to hide.”

• In response to Clurman’s question, “Are you offended when the MSNBC guys talk about how hot you are?”, Brzezinski answers, “If I ever thought [they were] serious, I’d be the first person down in human resources. And I’m not that hot. I’m a 42-year-old Westchester housewife.”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.