Keith Olbermann suspended for giving campaign contribution

[Demosthenes11]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot...-contributions

MSNBC suspended "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann Friday after the news that he donated to three Democratic candidates.

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

Olbermann gave the maximum individual donation of $2,400 to three candidates in Tuesday's election: Arizona Reps. Gabrielle Giffords and Raul Grijalva and Senate hopeful Jack Conway, who lost in Kentucky to Republican Rand Paul. (Grijalva appeared on Olbermann's "Countdown" on Oct. 28, the same day the host donated to his campaign; Conway was last a guest in May).

Olbermann, in a statement to Politico, said that he "did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns nor to any others in this election or any previous ones." Also, Olbermann said he had not "previously donated to any political campaign at any level."
But the revelation raised clear ethical issues.

Olbermann, a liberal commentator, gives his opinions each night on the air. But NBC News editorial staffers -- like journalists at most news organizations -- are forbidden from giving to political candidates. Also, Olbermann anchored election coverage Tuesday night without disclosing that he'd given to candidates who were running for office.

By punishing the network's biggest star, Griffin showed how little tolerance there is for hosts to make undisclosed political contributions while covering those political races.

An MSNBC spokesman told The Upshot that The Nation's Chris Hayes, an MSNBC contributor who has filled in before for Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, will host Friday night's show. Hayes has spoken publicly before about donating $250 to a friend's Congressional campaign in Alabama. He made the last donation in 2009, before becoming an MSNBC contributor. ]

MSNBC already attracted criticism this week for having its liberal hosts and commentators anchor election night coverage. Typically, nonpartisan journalists anchor major news events—such as election results—while commentators like Bill O'Reilly (Fox News) or James Carville (CNN) offer analysis.

It's ironic that Olbermann gave to political candidates after criticizing Fox News because its owner, Rupert Murdoch, gave $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association. "Fox News has put its money where its mouth is," Olbermann said in an August segment that questioned the network's impartiality.

In October, Olbermann again raised the issue of Murdoch's donations, during an interview with Democratic Rep. James Clyburn. Olbermann asked whether there was "a legislative response to the idea that there is a national cable news outlet that goes beyond having a point of view and actually starts to shill for partisan causes and actually starts to donate to partisan groups of one party."

So where is palin and the republicans marching under a banner of free speech?

I love how people watch him and he is payed for his liberal lean, but when he does it privately, it's not ok. Also love the attempted comparison with murdoch - as if olbermann ever claimed to not be liberal

[FNH]

last few pages of the vote topic

[Senoska]

Wonder what he's going to do now? Also, who is going to replace him as the democrat's papa bear?

[Kuya]

This should be its own topic.

[Atreides]

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...cable-not-news

[Priran]

here you go MSNBC, have another 7-year-old girl

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6...8460927844.png

[Kuya]

Incidentally, didn't that rally have a video where the example they used of left-wing insanity was Olbermann? How come the rally for sanity seems to not be inmune to making false equivalenses.

[ZarakiKujata]

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_new...cable-not-news

I honestly wish Rachel Maddow wasn't a gay cause I want to bone her so hard

[Priran]

Incidentally, didn't that rally have a video where the example they used of left-wing insanity was Olbermann? How come the rally for sanity seems to not be inmune to making false equivalenses.

They ran a segment on the clip they used in that montage a while back explaining why it was ridiculous.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...n_attacks.html

[ZarakiKujata]

Incidentally, didn't that rally have a video where the example they used of left-wing insanity was Olbermann? How come the rally for sanity seems to not be inmune to making false equivalenses.

Bill Maher called Stewart/Colbert out on that tonight

[Kerberoz]

I find it funny that pundits are more important than politicians nowadays.

[Stumblingdrunk]

I don't understand the problem. He violated a policy set forth by his employer and was held accountable. The problem is what exactly?

[Atreides]

Nobody (including his colleagues at MSNBC) are saying he shouldn't have some sort of consequences for his actions but the problem people have is that "indefinite suspension" seems like an overly draconian punishment in what appears to be nothing more than a power struggle from an asshole boss with a history of punishing network talent. I think for most people it seems a little perplexing why a network would ax its 2nd highest rated host in one of its top timeslots, especially when other people at the same network are guilty of the same transgression.

Even though he might be hyperbolic at times, I think most of his viewers would rather deal with a little hypocrisy on the part of Olbermann rather than lose one of the most intelligent and effective critics of the conservative movement.

[Bregor]

Maybe he can get his old job at ESPN back.

[Demosthenes11]

I find it more newsworthy simply because sarah palin would rather defend someone saying "nigger nigger nigger" to a black woman on the radio rather than someone that stands up for his political beliefs and donated a few thousand dollars to express it. It's blatant hypocrisy

and olbermann donating here does not make him a hypocrite. Tell me which is more lulz worthy: a man making no mystery as to his political affiliation, profiting off that affiliation, donating a few thousand to his cause or a man in control of an entire media, likely someone that should be impartial, making multi million dollar contributions to a politician.

[Bregor]

an entire media

I don't know why, but I lol'd when I read that.

[ZarakiKujata]

If he gets fired I'd bet he ends up at HBO as Bill Maher's leadin or something.

[Rhinox]

I'm with keith!

[Athas]

So does Fox not have such regulations on its employees?

Just wondering.

[Atreides]

obviously not, or else they'd have 23 hours of dead air a day and 1 hour of greta