Here's the facts:
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced 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," MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement.
First reported by Politico and confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings, the primetime television host gave $2,400 – the maximum individual amount allowed – to each of the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway, and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
Let's face it: No one on the right really cares that Keith contributes to Democratic candidates. Based on his Alan Grayson-esque commentary, who do you think he would contribute to - Rand Paul? And the individual limits are rather small, and it doesn't appear (yet) as if he worked around them. He did violate NBC policy, however, but as Bill Kristol points out:
GE, the corporate parent of MSNBC, gives money to political organizations. GE executives and, I’m sure, NBC executives give money. Why can’t Olbermann?
Perhaps Olbermann violated NBC News “policy and standards.” But NBC doesn’t have real news standards for MSNBC—otherwise the channel wouldn’t exist. It’s a little strange to get all high and mighty now.
Strange? I don't think so. There's an easy explanation here, which I will illustrate with a few earlier blog posts...
ABC Hires Christiane Amanpour To Promote Obama's Jihad
How coincidental is it - just as the Obama administration is launching a full-on attack against Israel that could bring a smile to Yassar Arafat's rotting AIDS-ridden corpse - that a major television network should hire a known anti-Israeli agitator to anchor their high-profile Sunday morning news show?
More:
"Good Morning America" Jumps Into Bed With The Obama Administration...Literally
Now how do you think this will affect news of the economy on ABC's Good Morning America?
Obama budget big's fiancee named weekend GMA co-host
The planets are aligned just right for Bianna Golodryga lately. The ABC News correspondent, one of the best at covering the economy, got engaged in December to Barak Obama's budget director, Peter Orszag, who hid a 5-carat, cushion-cut diamond ring under her menu over lunch at Sarabeth's on Central Park South. Now she's been promoted to co-anchor of the weekend edition of "Good Morning America," joining Bill Weir.
Get it? The media, having willingly subverted itself to the political system, now is scrambling to please a new set of masters. Had this not been a wave election, do you really think Olbermann would have been "suspended"? Sounds like Phil Griffin got his orders from higher up, who thought they were pleasing the new party in power my sacrificing what they believed to be the Republican's biggest nemesis.
Except he isn't. He's a mosquito buzzing around an echo chamber, easily swatted aside and subsequently ignored. If Griffin wanted to do something meaningful in terms of public discourse, he would have issued some edicts about the tone of the MSNBC broadcasts, and the hate-filled dialogue that masquerades as "progressive talking points". But I suppose it is easier just to cut heads...
Once Griffin realizes he will earn no kudos or payback for his silencing of Olbermann, he'll bring him back, and likely allow the hate to go on tenfold. No matter. The lesson of media cravenness has been put on full display, perhaps acting as a warning to certain outspoken hosts that their contracts, no matter what the fine print says, are only good until 2012....
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced 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," MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement.
First reported by Politico and confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings, the primetime television host gave $2,400 – the maximum individual amount allowed – to each of the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway, and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
Let's face it: No one on the right really cares that Keith contributes to Democratic candidates. Based on his Alan Grayson-esque commentary, who do you think he would contribute to - Rand Paul? And the individual limits are rather small, and it doesn't appear (yet) as if he worked around them. He did violate NBC policy, however, but as Bill Kristol points out:
GE, the corporate parent of MSNBC, gives money to political organizations. GE executives and, I’m sure, NBC executives give money. Why can’t Olbermann?
Perhaps Olbermann violated NBC News “policy and standards.” But NBC doesn’t have real news standards for MSNBC—otherwise the channel wouldn’t exist. It’s a little strange to get all high and mighty now.
Strange? I don't think so. There's an easy explanation here, which I will illustrate with a few earlier blog posts...
ABC Hires Christiane Amanpour To Promote Obama's Jihad
How coincidental is it - just as the Obama administration is launching a full-on attack against Israel that could bring a smile to Yassar Arafat's rotting AIDS-ridden corpse - that a major television network should hire a known anti-Israeli agitator to anchor their high-profile Sunday morning news show?
More:
"Good Morning America" Jumps Into Bed With The Obama Administration...Literally
Now how do you think this will affect news of the economy on ABC's Good Morning America?
Obama budget big's fiancee named weekend GMA co-host
The planets are aligned just right for Bianna Golodryga lately. The ABC News correspondent, one of the best at covering the economy, got engaged in December to Barak Obama's budget director, Peter Orszag, who hid a 5-carat, cushion-cut diamond ring under her menu over lunch at Sarabeth's on Central Park South. Now she's been promoted to co-anchor of the weekend edition of "Good Morning America," joining Bill Weir.
Get it? The media, having willingly subverted itself to the political system, now is scrambling to please a new set of masters. Had this not been a wave election, do you really think Olbermann would have been "suspended"? Sounds like Phil Griffin got his orders from higher up, who thought they were pleasing the new party in power my sacrificing what they believed to be the Republican's biggest nemesis.
Except he isn't. He's a mosquito buzzing around an echo chamber, easily swatted aside and subsequently ignored. If Griffin wanted to do something meaningful in terms of public discourse, he would have issued some edicts about the tone of the MSNBC broadcasts, and the hate-filled dialogue that masquerades as "progressive talking points". But I suppose it is easier just to cut heads...
Once Griffin realizes he will earn no kudos or payback for his silencing of Olbermann, he'll bring him back, and likely allow the hate to go on tenfold. No matter. The lesson of media cravenness has been put on full display, perhaps acting as a warning to certain outspoken hosts that their contracts, no matter what the fine print says, are only good until 2012....
No comments:
Post a Comment