The latest 24/7 Internet and talk show ragefest now centers on MSNBC’s decision to indefinitely suspend its biggest ratings magnet, Keith Olbermann, the man those on the left love and the many on the right hate. Olbermann gave campaign contributions to three Democratic candidates. As expected, those who agree with Olbermann are defending him (although it’s likely some of them might not defend a Sean Hannity who contributes). But surprisingly — or not — some on the right after defending Olbermann, too (perhaps because some on the right who are on cable are already giving money to Republicans).
But The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz, formerly of the Washington Post, now says what many from the traditional media will tell you: Olbermann’s contributions were not wise..and Kurtz explains just how unwise:
By donating to three Democratic candidates while covering the midterms on MSNBC,
Olbermann crossed a bright journalistic line—even for a commentator whose partisan sympathies are no secret.
The network had no choice but to suspend him, even though he’s the biggest draw on NBC’s cable channel. “Mindful of NBC News policy and standards,” MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement, “I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”
The real forehead-slapper here is that Olbermann donated the legal maximum, $2,400, to Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva on Oct. 28—the same day he interviewed the congressman for Countdown. Viewers, of course, had no way of knowing.
As first reported by Politico, Olbermann also donated the maximum to Arizona Rep. Gabriella Giffords and to Jack Conway, the Kentucky Republican who lost his Senate race to Rand Paul.
It’s hard to fathom what Olbermann was thinking, because he must have realized that the donations would show up in federal election records and eventually be made public.
What’s more, Olbermann has used the issue of political donations to rip his arch-enemies at Fox News. He pounced on Rupert Murdoch when News Corp., Fox’s parent, gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association and another million bucks to the GOP-backing Chamber of Commerce.Now Olbermann, who’s not shy about caustic criticism, faces the inevitable charge of hypocrisy.
Kurtz notes how some of the talking heads on CNN and Fox News are essentially partisan activists. The he writes:
But Olbermann delivers nightly lectures on how he and MSNBC uphold journalistic standards and Fox does not. Now he’s handed his critics a very sharp sword.
It’s hard to overestimate Olbermann’s importance to MSNBC since his second stint with the network began in 2003. He is the network’s most highly rated host and has led its march to the left, which has enabled MSNBC to repeatedly beat CNN in prime time, even though both networks trail Fox by a wide margin. That’s why Olbermann got a four-year, $30 million contract back in 2008…..
Kurtz then notes that Olbermann anchored MSNBC’s election night coverage, “along with Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, and Lawrence O’Donnell. There was no attempt to add a conservative pundit for balance.” And then:
……When you become a journalist, you give up certain rights. You can’t write speeches on the side for politicians. You can’t march in political demonstrations. And you shouldn’t be able to donate money to politicians, unless you’re hosting a cooking show.
So if Olbermann were on the air tonight, would he have to name himself the Worst Person in the World?
Actually not. He suspended the segment this week after Jon Stewart called him out, along with the likes of Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly, in his skewering of cable news at that Washington rally. So in the spirit of civility, I’ll just say I hope Keith recognizes that he screwed up and apologizes.
It was an error. And those completely defending want to overlook or change the subject from the points Kurtz raises. Pointing to a donation by Joe Scarborough (who apparently got permission from the corporation first) doesn’t negate what Kurtz notes above. Or to Sean Hannity on Fox. Or to Dick Morris.
A firing offense? Most likely not. But totally correct and nothing to say he could have handled better?
Definitely not.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.