Tampa Bay Times TV critic Eric Deggans, raised this question on “Reliable Sources” yesterday about the Rev. Al Sharpton both covering and participating in the Trayvon Martin story.

Is [George Zimmerman] going to feel like he can talk to NBC News or MSNBC and be treated fairly when one of their signature on-air personalities has spent weeks talking about how he should be arrested and he should be in jail?

After his segment, Deggans emailed MSNBC spokesperson Jeremy Gaines about, as Howie Kurtz puts it, “playing on both sides of the camera.” Gaines:

“When Rev. Sharpton joined MSNBC, it was with the understanding that he would continue to do his advocacy work. We’re fully aware of that work and we have an ongoing dialog. His participation in these events is very public and our audience is completely aware of where he stands on the issues. It’s because of this work and his decades of activism that Rev. Sharpton brings such a unique perspective to our line up.”