Keith Olbermann suspension/ MSNBC woes

[ShuckOwens]

Keith Olbermann suspended without pay, indefinitely. My guess... this is a preemptive strike at some of the larger salaries parked at a failing "news channel", ahead of the Comcast takeover. Look for further flushing at the rock.

[Guest Speed Racer]

So, you didn't read the story? That was kind of crass of him, if you ask me.

[Guest Jules]

The reason given was his personal donations to 3 different Democrat races, right? Including one donation made the same day one of them appeared on his show.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Frankly, I think it's kind of quaint - pretending they have standards and all.

[ShuckOwens]

So, you didn't read the story? That was kind of crass of him, if you ask me.

I guess you're snarkily asking me if I read the story? Sure. Now, I'm pontificating that higher ups are starting to comb carefully for reasons to bump off some of the big payroll targets there, ahead of the Comcast bean-counters. Olbermann was unfortunate enough to make a big enough gaffe to become an easy first swipe.

[Guest Speed Racer]

Yeah, it sounded like you hadn't read the reasons because - I don't know, it sounded like you were making it seem like a bad thing that they were cleaning house in the name of economy. I don't see how wiping out cable news talking heads on any side of the spectrum could be a bad thing.

[caliber66]

I don't really have a problem with Keith Olbermann contributing to political campaigns, but it's against the rules to do so without notifying the higher-ups first at MSNBC, so I also don't have a problem with him being suspended. He's a commentator, and nobody who has watched his show would mistake him for a reporter, so he doesn't need to keep a pretense of being unbiased...

[ih8music]

The reason given was his personal donations to 3 different Democrat races, right? Including one donation made the same day one of them appeared on his show.

Not the donations themselves, the fact that he didn't ask for (or receive) permission from NBC executives before making them. One wonders what their response would have been if he had asked... not like it's any secret what & who KO would support.

 

It sounds more to me like a power struggle between Olbermann and MSNBC president Phil Griffin... the two have knocked heads in the past.

[Good Old Neon]

And yet this story has gone largely unreported - keep it in mind as Fox News goes apeshit over Olbermann's suspension.

 

News Corp Donates $1 MILLION To Republican Governors Association

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/news-corp-donates-1-milli_n_684462.html

[caliber66]

And yet this story has gone largely unreported - keep it in mind as Fox News goes apeshit over Olbermann's suspension.

 

News Corp Donates $1 MILLION To Republican Governors Association

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/news-corp-donates-1-milli_n_684462.html

The Fox News donation did not go unreported. Olbermann himself gave them hell for it.

[Good Old Neon]

"Largely unreported" was a poor choice. I guess I meant, the stink that resulted from the Newscorp revelation never quite reached the stink the Olbermann story has already generated - and you just know they're going to milk the shit out it over on that entertainment masquerading as news channel Fox News.

[ih8music]

"Largely unreported" was a poor choice. I guess I meant, the stink that resulted from the Newscorp revelation never quite reached the stink the Olbermann story has already generated - and you just know they're going to milk the shit out it over on that entertainment masquerading as news channel Fox News.

Not only News Corp.'s contributions -- because of course they only did that because the Republican tax policies would benefit their corporate bottom line -- their on-air contributors also had quite a bit of activity in this election cycle:

 

During the 2009-2010 election cycle, more than 30 Fox News personalities have endorsed, raised money, or campaigned for Republican candidates or organizations in more than 600 instances. The Republican support has been given to more than 300 different races or party organizations in at least 47 states. Fox News personalities and hosts have also helped start pro-Republican organizations, which have raised tens of millions of dollars.

 

http://mediamatters....ch/201010270005

but Olbermann's $7,200 was clearly over the top.

[bleedorange]

"Largely unreported" was a poor choice. I guess I meant, the stink that resulted from the Newscorp revelation never quite reached the stink the Olbermann story has already generated - and you just know they're going to milk the shit out it over on that entertainment masquerading as news channel Fox News.

 

Actually, the response across the board has been to criticize NBC for going over the line in suspending Olbermann for such a minor offense.

[bjorn_skurj]

Journalists should never give money to politicians. That's not our place. "The only way a reporter should look a at politician is down." If anything, the money should go the other way.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Journalists should never give money to politicians. That's not our place. "The only way a reporter should look a at politician is down." If anything, the money should go the other way.

 

Ethics is really something you either understand or you don't.

Obviously, you do.

[tugmoose]

Olbermann is horrible. Dems are way better off without this smug, smirking idiot taking up their cause.

 

But that's just me.

[ih8music]

Olbermann, Hannity, O'Reilly, Beck, Limbaugh, and all of the other hyper-political talking heads on TV and radio are horrible. Everyone would be way better off without these smug, smirking idiots taking up their cause.

Couldn't agree more.

[caliber66]

Ethics is really something you either understand or you don't.

Obviously, you do.

But Keith Olbermann is not a journalist, he's a commentator. Everyone knows his politics, just as they do Pat Buchanan's, Joe Scarborough's, Karl Rove's, Sean Hannity's, etc., all of whom donate to Republican candidates. I don't see any conflict there as long as they are open about it.

[bobbob1313]

But Keith Olbermann is not a journalist, he's a commentator. Everyone knows his politics, just as they do Pat Buchanan's, Joe Scarborough's, Karl Rove's, Sean Hannity's, etc., all of whom donate to Republican candidates. I don't see any conflict there as long as they are open about it.

 

I would say the difference is that Olbermann is used by MSNBC as an anchor for stuff like election night and debate coverage. In that context, he is not supposed to be a commentator, he is supposed to be a reporter/moderator.

 

Personally, I have no problem with them doing this to him as long as the policy is enforced across the board.

[bleedorange]

With Olbermann's history, I wouldn't be surprised if NBC is finally fed up with his act, too. There might be more to this than just breaking this rule.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

But Keith Olbermann is not a journalist, he's a commentator. Everyone knows his politics, just as they do Pat Buchanan's, Joe Scarborough's, Karl Rove's, Sean Hannity's, etc., all of whom donate to Republican candidates. I don't see any conflict there as long as they are open about it.

 

Citing other's ethical lapses is a poor defense.

 

Ethics is common sense based. I deal with shit like this every day in my professional life, so I have little sympathy for this type of behavior.

[caliber66]

Citing other's ethical lapses is a poor defense.

 

Ethics is common sense based. I deal with shit like this every day in my professional life, so I have little sympathy for this type of behavior.

That of course assumes that I feel Keith Olbermann donating money to political candidates is an ethical lapse. It is common sense to me that there is no conflict here, since nobody with any common sense would identify Olbermann as an unbiased reporter. As bobbob points out, perhaps he shouldn't be anchoring MSNBC's election coverage, but again, nobody is going to mistake MSNBC's election coverage for unbiased reporting either. Olbermann's lapse is failing to report his donations, which Buchanan and Scarborough ostensibly did not.

[uncool2pillow]

It's one thing to be a clearly biased commentator. It's another thing to make donations to candidates immediately before or after they appear on your show.

[caliber66]

It's one thing to be a clearly biased commentator. It's another thing to make donations to candidates immediately before or after they appear on your show.

I'd be a lot more concerned if the money was going the other way.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

That of course assumes that I feel Keith Olbermann donating money to political candidates is an ethical lapse. It is common sense to me that there is no conflict here, since nobody with any common sense would identify Olbermann as an unbiased reporter. As bobbob points out, perhaps he shouldn't be anchoring MSNBC's election coverage, but again, nobody is going to mistake MSNBC's election coverage for unbiased reporting either. Olbermann's lapse is failing to report his donations, which Buchanan and Scarborough ostensibly did not.

 

I don't know what line of work you are in, and I don't even know if that is germaine, but it stinks to high heaven. And for him to call out others for doing the same thing, while adding insult to injury, is simply the hypocrisy of an arrogant man. No crime in being a hypocrite. But if someone needs to have the ethics of their industry explained to them...perhaps they should find another line of work.

 

And by the way...why is there more of an outcry here about Olbermann being suspended than Juan Williams being fired over at NPR?