Megyn Kelly laments political journalism in the Trump era, compares covering politics to taking a 'bath of carcinogens'

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• NBC host Megyn Kelly expressed pessimism about the state of political journalism on television.
• Kelly's shift away from politics has been met with mixed reviews.

Megyn Kelly lamented the state of political journalism in the era of President Donald Trump, arguing that partisanship has made it difficult for broadcasters to change minds.

In an interview at Business Insider's IGNITION conference Wednesday, the NBC host explained why she decided to leave her highly-rated perch on a hard-hitting news show at Fox News at a moment of major political news and upheaval.

"I'm all for hard-hitting journalism, however, I do feel in the era of Trump you might as well go stand on the edge of the Pacific and scream at the top of your lungs all day, every day," Kelly said.

Kelly, who puzzled some in the media world by pivoting away from politics and launching a morning show, noted that during the 2016 election, she covered many of Trump's most high-profile scandals, including his racially-charged comments criticizing a Gold Star family and comments about a judge of Mexican descent.

"Did it do any good? Were hearts and minds changed? Was there an available audience to me, at the Fox News Channel, of Republicans and independents and Democrats who are open-minded who are there for persuading? You tell me," Kelly said.

She added: "It's not to say there's no value in political journalism... But if you are covering politics to persuade people - which is what I think people wanted me to do - you're wasting your time. The Trump voters are dug in on Trump. The Trump haters are dug in on Trump. "

Kelly said as she considered her decision to stay at Fox News, she lamented the state of political discourse.

"I thought to myself, 'I could also get into a bath of carcinogens every morning and roll around in it all day,'" Kelly said. "But that's not good for me either."

Critics have had mixed reactions to Kelly's shift away from politics, though she's received positive reviews for her aggressive coverage of the recent wave of sexual harassment allegations against many figures in the media, politics, and Hollywood.