Bad news.  Disappointing.  Infuriating.  Sad.  

Keith Olbermann, host of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" on the MSNBC network has been "suspended indefinitely without pay" (euphemism for "fired") by MSNBC news President Phil Griffin for violating NBC news' policy against news hosts donating to political campaigns.  Here is the article from politico.com.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44734.html

By SIMMI AUJLA | 11/5/10 6:00 AM EDT Updated: 11/5/10 2:58 PM EDT

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been suspended indefinitely without pay after POLITICO reported that he made three campaign contributions to Democratic candidates.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement Friday: “I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."

Olbermann made campaign contributions to two Arizona members of Congress and failed Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway ahead of Tuesday’s election.

Olbermann, who acknowledged the contributions in a statement to POLITICO, made the maximum legal donations of $2,400 apiece to Conway and to Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. He donated to the Arizona pair on Oct. 28 — the same day that Grijalva appeared as a guest on Olbermann’s “Countdown� show.

NBC has a rule against employees contributing to political campaigns, and a wide range of news organizations prohibit political contributions — considering it a breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover.

Chris Hayes, the Washington editor for The Nation and a previous fill-in for Rachel Maddow, will fill in for Olbermann tonight, MSNBC confirmed.

Olbermann is one of MSNBC’s most recognizable faces, and has emerged as one of the country’s most prominent liberal commentators. A former ESPN star, Olbermann’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann� started in 2003 as a traditional news show but evolved into a left-leaning opinion program – and in some ways, led the network into its new identity as the cable-news voice of the left and an attempt to be a counterweight to Fox News.

Inside MSNBC, employees were shocked at the news of Olbermann’s suspension. Despite a reputation for a prickly personality off-air, Olbermann was given wide berth inside the network because of his stature – and his ratings.

Insiders were stunned that Griffin moved so swiftly to yank one of the network’s true stars off the air, and some suspected that the recent tensions with NBC News, which has grown increasingly uneasy with its sister network’s more ideological stance, contributed to the swift decision. Some have even speculated that Comcast’s coming merger with NBC Universal has heightened sensitivities about MSNBC’s ideological profile.

MSNBC has branded Olbermann as a prominent face in its new “Lean Forward� marketing campaign. He tripled MSNBC’s ratings at 8 p.m. In the past two years, MSNBC’s more opinionated hosts have helped propel it past CNN in prime time, and even lately during the daytime, too.

Despite MSNBC’s embrace of a more opinionated format, NBC News has a policy against its employees making political contributions – and it appears that Olbermann ran afoul of that policy, even by contributing to candidates he gave a platform on his show, like Grijalva.


(see link for remainder of article)

My own comments to be continued.

I was a loyal fan of "Countdown" since 2003.  I found Olbermann's politics comported with my own and he was making the contrary arguments against the flagrantly biased FOX News I wished I could make to a national audience.

Olbermann is a brilliant commentator with trenchant points of views he delivers with a blend of humor, sarcasm, conviction, and passion.  I looked for to his analysis, his jokes, and his fun "Worst Person in the World" segment on "Countdown," which aired on MSNBC at 8:00 Monday through Friday.  Monday through Thursday it repeated twice more throughout the night.  

Olbermann wouldn't know me from Adam, but as happens with celebrities we like, we feel an artificial kinship with them and their departure from the scene makes us sad.  

However, Phil Griffin made the right decision and Keith O richly deserved to lose his program.  Why am I harsh towards a commentator for whom I have felt such comradeship?  Why do I call him a "hypocrite"?  Because he is.

Olbermann spent eight years railing against the political corruption and collusion of Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp.  He condemned Newscorp, and especially FOX News, for being in bed with the Republican party.  I need not go on about FOX and Newscorp.  You know their number.  If you do not, you'll just have to read Revelation.  
::)

Speaking of Scriptures, here is JC:

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

Simply put, if you are going to point the finger at the other fellow and call his face dirty, you're own face had better be spotless.  Keith got dirty.  Fellow liberal talker Randi Rhodes could not help point out this afternoon that FOX News has given millions of dollars to the Republican Party and their politicians over the years, but Keith only gave the legal limit of $2400.  She missed the point.  It is principle.  News commentators need not be free of bias but they must not dispense financial favors to parties, candidates, or elected officials.  I don't care if it's one dollar or one million dollars.  If a commentator obliges himself to politics with money, he compromises his ability to make comments on politics without regard to partisan affiliation.  

Mr. Olbermann's incessant railing against FOX News for their dirty dealings with the GOP trebles his obligation to refrain from making contributions to candidates per the above principle laid out nearly 2000 years ago in the gospel of Matthew.  One need not wax theological.  There are secular and pragmatic principles to the same affect.  I don't have any at my fingertips, but you could certainly find your own.

America's national polity is now in irreversible deterioration.  We live in Roman times.  Corruption is ubiquitous.  Corrupting forces are going to tempt nationally syndicated television commentators, such as Keith Olbermann, who feel impassioned about political affairs.  Olbermann is a multimillionaire traveling in elite circles.  As his influence grew, I watched him brim with self-righteous indignation and censure against his adversaries in the media and in politics.  I never ceased being a fan of Keith.  I did find his rhetoric obnoxious at times, but often was my own.  The difference is I don't have the celebrity status, the financial fortunes, and the political influence Keith wields, therefore blindness to my own hypocrisy is not so grave.  In other words, Keith has power, with power responsibility must follow.  Olbermann was irresponsible with his power  

Keith was tempted.  Keith gave into temptation.  Now Keith's employers rightfully sanction him.  

I hope Olbermann will not start some webcast dedicated to lambasting they hypocrisy of NBC.  I hope he will take a year or two to reassess his values, make amends, and then perhaps attempt a return to the major media.

There is also question per the Politico article about whether there are corporate forces at work above Keith's station.  Whether or not there are does not change my opinion.

I reiterate, I don't expect any principles from employees of FOX News.  I have standards for Olbermann.  He fell short of them and I am glad he has been fired (ahem, "suspended indefinitely without pay).  

Perhaps my cynical sentiments were correct all along.  I have stated many times Olbermann, Maddow, Matthews, and O'Donnel (Lawrence that is) work for the military-industrial complex as General Electric, a gigantic military contractor, owns NBC.  None of NBC's commentators question the fundamentals of capitalism itself.  That's not allowed.  Olbermann, therefore, was never close to my ideal commentator, but a port in a storm is better than foundering under the waves.  

I will miss "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," but I would rather accept his absence than live with his hypocrisy.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sad3.gif

What Olbermann did wasn't quite as bad as what Fox News did.

In the crazy world that is American politics, individuals are limited in what they can give and receive, but corporations can give and receive all they want to.

Republicans Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan also gave political contributions -- but are not suspended. It must only be ok for MSNBC employees to give to Republicans, not Democrats.


http://act.boldprogressives.org/sign/petition_olbermann/?akid=2630.349226.dYa8Sz&rd=1&source=e1-5mo&t=2



Cat

^ Good points Cat and Mac.

My initial reaction was overheated and lacked nuance.  The NBC policy is indeed in legalese mumbo jumbo.  I heard it read verbatim, but I don't have a link to it handy.  It seemed like the NBC lawyers drafted it for maximum vagueness in order to give management great discretion in deciding who and who is not in violation of the civic and political activities restrictions.  It is not "shall and shall not" but "may or may not."

I'm not changing my tune on the principle of the matter.  I don't think journalists should give money to political candidates for the reasons I already stated.  

I do smell a rat.  Perhaps they are picking on Keith because he's too far Left for corporate interests.  NBC is brokering a new management contract with Comcast.  


Then again, Keith seemed to know the score on Rightward corporate bias, therefore, he should have known better than to write those checks.  

I got hot under the collar because Keith is second only to Jon Stewart for my favorite TV personalities and there he goes shooting himself in the foot like that.  Now his fans can't see him anymore.  
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sad11.gif

Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell do good work, but they're no Keith Olbermann. 

Again, I don't respect Pat Buchanan or Joe Sourdough. 

Republicans Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan also gave political contributions -- but are not suspended. It must only be ok for MSNBC employees to give to Republicans, not Democrats.

http://act.boldprogressives.org/sign/petition_olbermann/?akid=2630.349226.dYa8Sz&rd=1&source=e1-5mo&t=2

Cat


As I have heard, Scarborough first asked for permission to give the contribution (which is provided for in MFNBC's policies.  If you ask permission and it is granted then no harm no foul.)  Have not heard if this is the case with Buchanan or not.

As I have heard, Scarborough first asked for permission to give the contribution (which is provided for in MFNBC's policies.  If you ask permission and it is granted then no harm no foul.)  Have not heard if this is the case with Buchanan or not.


That policy, to me, is an extremely troublesome one. 

That policy, to me, is an extremely troublesome one. 

It's a policy that makes sense when a media organization wants to pretend they are objective, but in reality, everyone already knows that MSNBC is just as biased as Fox.

As I have heard, Scarborough first asked for permission to give the contribution (which is provided for in MFNBC's policies.  If you ask permission and it is granted then no harm no foul.)  Have not heard if this is the case with Buchanan or not.


Keith forgot to say "Mother may I"!

If I can find the wording of that contract, I'd reprint it.  I remember thinking I would only sign a contract so vague unless I was really desperate or they were dangling a seven-figure salary in my face. 
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/homework.gif

It's a policy that makes sense when a media organization wants to pretend they are objective, but in reality, everyone already knows that MSNBC is just as biased as Fox.



Depends on what you mean by biased.  Fox makes stuff up, like Obama taking half the navy with him to Asia.  MSNBC might make mistakes, but when they do they report them and correct them. I'v seen Maddow do it a few times.  So there is a difference

Depends on what you mean by biased.  Fox makes stuff up, like Obama taking half the navy with him to Asia.  MSNBC might make mistakes, but when they do they report them and correct them. I'v seen Maddow do it a few times.  So there is a difference


MSNBC tried to out-FOX FOX before they realized there was a better market in counter-FOX in the evening...and that's STILL limited to Olbermann, Maddow, and O'Donnell.  They have Chris Matthews who agrees with whoever won the last election and Joe Sourdough, a former far-right state rep from Florida.  MSNBC is the SAME network that fired Phil Donahue in 2002 because they were afraid he might criticize the Iraq War. 

"Liberal" media is tolerated on the major networks, just not Leftist media.

Keith has been reinstated. He will be back on the air tomorrow-Tuesday.



Cat

Keith has been reinstated. He will be back on the air tomorrow-Tuesday.



Cat


I overreacted, as I often do (though I still don't think he should have made partisan campaign contributions).  I'm glad Keith-O is coming back!
:)
                                                                                                                                                                       
"Countdown" might be more low-key and I doubt Olbermann will retain the "Worst Person in the World" segment, which I will miss.  He said a few days before he got suspended that "Worst Person" was going on hiatus per his own decision.  The segment Keith needs to dump is "Fridays with Thurber."  James Thurber is a great writer and Keith was doing the readings for the the right reasons, but it just didn't make good television.  

I overreacted, as I often do (though I still don't think he should have made partisan campaign contributions).  I'm glad Keith-O is coming back!
:)
                                                                                                                                                                       
"Countdown" might be more low-key and I doubt Olbermann will retain the "Worst Person in the World" segment, which I will miss.  He said a few days before he got suspended that "Worst Person" was going on hiatus per his own decision.  The segment Keith needs to dump is "Fridays with Thurber."  James Thurber is a great writer and Keith was doing the readings for the the right reasons, but it just didn't make good television.  



I like "Fridays with Thurber". But, I will also miss "Worst Person". He may bring it back. Of course if he does, tonight he can say that his boss is the "Worst Person."  ;) :D ;D ;D ;D



Cat