“Aside from Chris Berman-esque nicknaming, this is my least favorite sportscasting tic. Vieira is surely very intelligent. She has an army of researchers by her side both before and during the opening ceremony. And yet, likely out of a desire to seem more “relatable,” she plays dumb. This reverse snobbery is insulting to viewers—if she acts dumb, how do you think she feels about the yokels watching on the boob tube?—and perpetuates the poisonous idea that it’s uncool to know stuff. A polite request for Meredith Vieira: Instead of chuckling that you don’t understand how the stadium’s light show works, get someone to teach you so you can explain it to people at home. You would learn something, and so would we.”
— NBC Olympics coverage: Meredith Vieira think it’s cool to be ignorant.
