Olbermann Suspension Ends Tuesday
- Posted on November 7, 2010 at 10:43pm by
Scott Baker
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NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC says Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday, ending his suspension for violating NBC’s rules against making political donations.
MSNBC’s chief executive Phil Griffin said late Sunday that after several days of deliberation, he had determined that two days off the air was “an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy.”
The left-leaning cable network’s most popular personality acknowledged donating $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. NBC News prohibits its employees from making political donations unless an exception is granted in advance by the network news president. In this case, Olbermann‘s bosses didn’t know about them until being informed by a reporter.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Keith Olbermann’s suspension from MSNBC for donating to three Democratic campaigns has made his status a cause for liberals and raised questions about how long-standing rules designed to protect the integrity of news organizations fit in a new era of opinionated programming.
Olbermann was suspended indefinitely without pay Friday for violating NBC News rules about donations. MSNBC wasn‘t commenting on Olbermann’s future Sunday after an online petition calling for his immediate reinstatement, run by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, exceeded 250,000 signatures.
The left-leaning cable network’s most popular personality acknowledged donating $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. NBC News prohibits its employees from making political donations unless an exception is granted in advance by the network news president. In this case, Olbermann‘s bosses didn’t know about them until being informed by a reporter.
The rules are designed to preserve the appearance of objectivity for news organizations. Cable news networks, most prominently Fox News Channel and MSNBC, have increased their popularity in recent years through prime-time programs that dispense with any notion of impartiality.
“What we’ve seen in the last five years is the rise of these personalities that eclipse the journalism that these organizations do,” said Kelly McBride, ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute journalism think tank.
Many mainstream news organizations take these rules dead seriously. National Public Radio subjected itself to some teasing this fall when it issued a memo forbidding its personnel from attending comic Jon Stewart’s rally in Washington last month, but NPR didn’t want reporters seen at an event that some people could interpret as political, unless the reporters were covering it.
Olbermann‘s fans note that he’s made no secret of his support for Democrats on his prime-time “Countdown” show. So why should he be suspended for putting his money where his mouth is?
His prime-time MSNBC colleague, Rachel Maddow, said on her show Friday night that Olbermann should be reinstated. Her bosses were told she’d be saying that before going on the air, however.
McBride said she wouldn’t be surprised if some news organizations drop these rules in the next few years, or at least carve out exceptions for certain personalities. Fox News seems to have effectively done this. Prime-time host Sean Hannity made a $5,000 donation to Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann’s PAC this summer; Fox says he’s a conservative talk show host, not a journalist. Part-time commentators the network has hired like Karl Rove and Sarah Palin continue their political work while drawing pay from Fox.
“It’s getting harder and harder to draw the lines in general,” McBride said. “The public doesn’t spend a lot of time differentiating between commentators and journalists.”
Yet the principle of journalistic independence is more important now than ever, said Bob Steele, director of the Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University in Indiana.
Prime-time opinion hosts are journalists as well as commentators, Steele said. They host news programs, make decisions on what stories to emphasize, what guests to bring on, and what questions are asked, he said.
“There’s a huge difference between having a belief and becoming an activist,” he said, “and when you contribute to a campaign with your money or your energy, you’re an activist.”
Donations to some Democratic candidates by a commentator who clearly supports Democrats may seem simple. But why these candidates in these states and not others? What if these candidates get involved in primaries?
In other words, it can get messy.
For NBC News, there’s also the risk of having its journalists associated with activist hosts. Olbermann and Maddow are clear in their opinions on MSNBC, but veteran NBC journalist Andrea Mitchell hosts a daytime hour on the network. So do White House reporters Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie.
The question of whether MSNBC is an opinion network or news network seemed particularly hard to answer on election night. In the 2008 political season, MSNBC went back and forth between having Olbermann serve as a news anchor or commentator on nights of big political news; on election night this year, Olbermann was one of the hosts. Chris Matthews was an anchor, too, and he put some tough questions to GOP guests like Bachmann. But beyond asking tough questions, he wondered aloud whether Bachmann was under “hypnosis,” and some of MSNBC‘s personalities were heard laughing at their guests’ responses.
Some journalists may also get mixed signals when they see corporate overseers active in political campaigns. Fox’s parent News Corp. donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association this summer. Steele noted there’s a long tradition of political activism among owners of news organizations in this country.
Beyond the decision on Olbermann’s future, some broader thinking on these issues appears in the offing.
“I would really struggle if I were running one of these organizations to figure out where the journalism fits in,” McBride said. “It’s obvious that journalism still has some role in these organizations, but it’s not sure where it figures in anymore.”
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Comments (123)
suran
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:20amHand me a barf bag.
Report Post »CatBox
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:10amI don’t think this stunt will boost their ratings. The same 10 people will keep watching.
Report Post »DeepintheHeart
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:10amY‘all didn’t really think MSNBC was going to deep-six Keith Olbermann, did you? It’s a wonder he got the brief vacation that he got this week. Now I‘ll resume my normal policy of not watching him or anybody else on that freakin’ network.
Report Post »JD2020
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:07amWhy is this even on the Blaze? KO is a poster boy of what is wrong with American politics today. He has no room for anyones opinion other than his own.
MSNBC is a left wing propaganda network that is dangerous to our political system. We need to go back to the days of having hearings on who in our govt is a Marxist, Communist and any other person who is a threat to our Constitution, and have them removed. It makes so much easier when they stand up like Hillary Clinton did and say, “I am a modern Progressive”.
Treason needs to be taken more seriously NOW, more than ever, in our recent history.
Report Post »CaptainSpaulding
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:06amPublicity Stunt.
Don’t give them the ratings boost.
Report Post »CraigColvin
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:04amSo all KO needed to do was to clear his donations ahead of time-then he could contribute with an okay from management- something he neglected to do…God love him and the rest of their ilk. So the MSM can sink to the lowest common denominator, get a pass from the upper echelons in the company, then castigate anyone declaring their support of the Constitution, limited government, and other like-minded candidates. The fight is against powers and principalities; not people. Can we send KO flowers?
Report Post »N37BU6
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:03amWas this a stunt for ratings? Martyrdom?
Report Post »juliaflyte
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:01amMSNBC= Mostly Slanted News By Communists
Report Post »HippoNips
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:59pmI wih The Blaze would keep to news, people and topics that need our concern , and stay away from Olbermann‘s and MSNBC’s plublicity stunts.
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 1:03amDitto!
Report Post »Loki
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:58pmso oberdork isnt gone… suprise suprise…
Report Post »just a distraction…
Rowgue
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:56pmWho? Seriously BLAZE stop with the non stories about nobodies already. You’re starting to make yourself look as dopey and irrelevant as the left wing kook conspiracy websites.
Report Post »koyettsu
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:55pmlol oh man, what a tough company policy, why the hell wouldn’t every person at MSNBC donate against their policy if all they get are a 2 day vacation.
Report Post »Sunnyr
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:55pmNow we know why MESSNBC’S ratings are always in the toilet. They are run by LUNATICS. Maybe Comcast will come in and see what is going on over in Crazy Town and clean house.
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:54pmFox fans complaining about Olbermann? Hilarious! The man earns every cent!
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:33amYou have labeled youself an iditiot.
Report Post »Rogue
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 3:08pmEarns every cent? I suppose you are right…. but when did he start making $0.10/yr?
Report Post »BetterDays
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:47pmSmoke and mirrors, watch the other hand.
Report Post »dirtytricksjusttowin
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:46pmFree Keith…from What? STUPIDITY.
Report Post »Majic
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 1:35amYou can’t fix stupid…
Report Post »GBMBulletsSKNRD
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:46pmThese idiots think this stunt (and that’s all it was a stunt) will help them. I think they are sadly mistaken. I sometimes watch them when I need a good laugh but I will no longer do that because they have become to pathetic.
Report Post »RonSpeaks
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:41pmHow long will we have to listen to this narcissistic, condescending and pandering fool? I apologize for being so rude, but his mockery and insult-laden commentary obscures my attempts to rationally discern the concerns of the more liberal side of politics. I try to watch and listen to BOTH sides, but am put off by his biased and bigoted rhetoric and the way in which he expresses it.
Where does mocking GOD, as he did after 8/28 in an entire segment with himself playing GOD speaking into Glenn Becks ear pass as legitimate political commentary or journalism? I would have much more respect for MSNBC if they were to pull him permanently and put someone else in who could balance the political debate rather than polarize it.
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:32pmDidn’t we all have that figured out any way? I doubt that it matters anyway their opinions are sooooooo extreme and they have been exposed for what they really are , so ….What Ever….
Report Post »JohnnyJT
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:30pmWhat a Joke.
Report Post »QuietRiot
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:27pmWay to stick to your guns MSNBC, Love that ethics thing you got going on ….
Report Post »“Ftards”
PhilipJames
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:26pmFrom Newsbusters…
Update: Something that has bothered me about this story from the beginning was that I couldn‘t find anything at the FEC website about Olbermann’s contributions. Go here, type in “Olbermann, Keith,” and nothing shows.
Yet Politico in its article on this subject Friday reported:
POLITICO discovered the Olbermann donation to Grijalva in a Federal Election Commission filing, and when MSNBC was asked for a comment, it forwarded a statement from Olbermann:
“One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the reelection campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords,” Olbermann said. “I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky.”
Under FEC rules, an individual donor may give only $2,400 to a candidate per general election campaign. The FEC filings for Olbermann’s contributions list an address that is a Mailboxes Etc. storefront in New York, and it also lists his occupation as a newscaster for NBC Television.
Where is that filing?
FEC checks of the candidates Olbermann gave money to also produced no results.
Here are individual contributors with last names beginning with the letters K through O for Jack Conway, Raul Grijalva, and last names beginning with O for Gabrielle Giffords.
No Keith Olbermann.
I sure would like to know what FEC files Politico discovered.
Report Post »KenInIL
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:30amAgreed! The online reports only cover until 10/13/2010. Maybe he just gave them an IOU.
He, Maddow, and Mathews should take a page out of Rep. “Boycott AZ” Grijalva playbook and urge the boycott of MSNBC for suspending him.
Report Post »LSX
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 6:13amDon’t let the facts get in the way of more MSNBC bull dung.
Stop falling for the misdirection and obfuscation.
Watch the other hand!
Report Post »Spokavriel
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:26pmCan we now say its official that the entire suspension was just a pathetic publicity stunt that sadly worked and made it so they could not only make contributions but also complain about FOX News some more. After all what was that other article claiming FOX was worse?
Report Post »sean_m.
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:43amNow we can call it that. The smell of desperation.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:26pmCan anyone say “Publicity Stunt” on the part of Olbermann and MSNBC communist propaganda ministries of the Progressives?
Nuff said.
Report Post »http://www.artinphoenix.com/gallery/grimm
CatB
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:50pmToo true .. wow what was that suspension a few days .. one week! … give me a break … all he and PMSNBC wanted was some attention…. not going to work people — don’t want to watch “fake news”.
Report Post »cruisemates
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 5:07amIf it was a publicity stunt – he counldn’t have picked a worse candidate to donate money to. Raul Grijalva – the one congressman single-handedly doing more to hand illegal aliens equal rights to American citizens than than anyone else in the world. What a maroon.
Report Post »rebel
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 6:48amit does reak of a stunt! too bad he gets more viewers from clips on this site than that real show….and the whole “Good night and good luck” thing….“borrowed” from an old newscaster. He needs to take a real vacation and get some originality.
Report Post »Steve Smith
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 7:13amI guess they don’t know what “indefinitely” means…
Report Post »Steve Smith
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 7:26amActually, the more I think about it, Tuesday is when Glenn does his Soros special. Kinda makes me think, hmmmmm…
Report Post »LadyLiberty
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 8:20amI am pretty sure this was an attempt to pull a ‘holier than thou’ moment against FOX news. Did anyone note where the story originated??? mmhmm.
They had Hannity all cued up on Maddow within hours and were probably pretty ticked they couldn‘t get anything on Beck or O’Reilly.
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:24pmSeriously who watches MSNBC they’re bunch of jerks with Thrill Syndrome .
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:34pmI would say that news is a bummer except I don’t watch that garbage anyway. So I don’t care!
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:38pmMakes me sick. This network and this troll is trying to take advantage of the Juan Williams fame. Typical
Report Post »Kaen
Posted on November 7, 2010 at 11:38pmGreat…now all will do for weeks in blame conservatives for his suspension…clown.
http://thefreeamerica.blogspot.com/
Report Post »Pnxgld
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:43am250,000! Wow SEIU & illegals must still be workn the votes!
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:46amFor the life of me, Glenn, I don’t understand how you bought into the “suspension” story. Those MSNBC radicals were livid about their defeat, and this was their stupid way of getting a few laughs at the expense of Fox News. If this had been for real, Olbermann would have been fired immediately.
finwe
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 12:51amLame. Not much else to say except it was a blissful weekend.
Report Post »rebel
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 1:36amlol. break the rules and get a vacation!
Report Post »*************************
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 1:59amOlber-who?
sheriff BART: “A man drink like that, and he don’t eat, he is going to die.”
Report Post »town drunk JIM: “When?”
-Blazing Saddles
Polwatcher
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 5:44amI don’t see what all the hub bub was about. Oberman is back and I never watch him. Nothing has changed. (Sometime I think the only thing that keeps MSNBC on the air is all the talk by conservative media and conservatives never watch him except for those few that enjoy being insulted.)
Report Post »beekeeper
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 7:13amI guess when all 17 viewers threatened to stop watching MSNBC the brass got the message and brought back their most respected host, Keith Olbermann.
I thought it was all timed so he could go out and support his new book, yet another re-hash of his on-air bloviations, for that minority of people that:
A) think Keith has something interesting to say,
Report Post »B) can’t figure out how to set their VCR to record his show, and
C) can read.
ron the veteran
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 7:20amwhy? didnt they learn anything? the guys a big mouthed commie. and its time for all the commies to go.
Report Post »mara123
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 7:46amWell i guess that showed Olbermann who is boss, LOL , A child could see threw these people trying to get ratings up. I bet Olbermann came up with this oh so bright plan himself.
Report Post »anOpinion
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 9:07amI think everyone has been played.
This was a publicity stunt by MSNBC that exceeded their expectations, nothing more. People are actually talking about Olbermann, even though their first words were on the subject were “Who’s Keith Olbermann?”
Report Post »Bluebonnet
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 10:19amRight on! I don’t watch that channel at all, so it doesn’t matter one way or the other, except, now he
Report Post »can come back with his lying, vindictive, hate mongering, mean spirited comments. All I know about Olberman was, several years ago women came out of the woodwork to tell about his lack of sexual abilities. They claimed he was bad, bad, bad.
Caffeinated Texan
Posted on November 8, 2010 at 3:01pmHis 12 fans will be pleased.
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