Keith Olbermann Suspended Indefinitely After Political Contributions

[atomiczombie]

Olbermann Suspended From MSNBC for Campaign Donations
By BRIAN STELTER AND BILL CARTER
4:15 p.m. | Updated Keith Olbermann, the pre-eminent liberal voice on American television, was suspended Friday after his employer, MSNBC, discovered that he made campaign contributions to three Democrats last month.

The indefinite suspension was a stark display of the clash between objective journalism and opinion journalism on television.

The MSNBC president, Phil Griffin, issued a statement saying: “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.”

Politico had reported Friday morning that Mr. Olbermann’s contributions were in apparent violation of MSNBC policy.

In a statement to Politico, Mr. Olbermann, the longtime host of “Countdown,” acknowledged donations of $2,400 to the campaigns of Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and Attorney General Jack Conway of Kentucky, who lost his Senate race to Rand Paul.

Several hours later, Mr. Griffin released the statement about the suspension.

No one at NBC News, MSNBC’s parent, would speculate about what this might mean for Mr. Olbermann’s future, though two NBC executives privately suggested this was not a step toward firing him.

One executive said the network decided it was imperative to take this kind of strong action as a way of underscoring that MSNBC, while featuring prime-time shows that overly support Democratic policy, remains a channel that adheres to fundamental journalistic values.

An executive with another television news organization, who asked not to be identified in offering analysis of competitors, said NBC may even see the disciplining of Mr. Olbermann as an opportunity to distinguish itself from Fox News, which has been increasingly identified with Republican positions. Media Matters, a liberal media monitoring group that is a persistent critic of Fox, noted on Friday afternoon that two Fox News hosts, Neil Cavuto and Sean Hannity, had given money to Republican politicians in the past.

Earlier this year Mr. Hannity made a $2,400 contribution to a Republican congressional candidate, John Gomez, a long-time friend of his, and a $5,000 contribution to the political action committee of Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota.

Fox’s parent company, the News Corporation, also came under scrutiny this year for a $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association — a donation that Mr. Olbermann has been sharply critical of.

An MSNBC spokesman had said that in Mr. Olbermann’s absence, Chris Hayes, the Washington editor for The Nation magazine and an MSNBC contributor, would fill in as the host of “Countdown” on Friday, but MSNBC later said that was not the case, and did not name a replacement for Mr. Olbermann. Bloggers immediately pointed out that Mr. Hayes had made contributions to Democrats just like Mr. Olbermann had, but the spokesman said those contributions were made before Mr. Hayes was put on MSNBC’s payroll.

Mr. Olbermann’s “Countdown” is the most popular program on MSNBC, routinely drawing more than one million viewers a night. Years ago he gave voice to dissenting views about the Iraq war and about Bush administration policies, and more recently he helped advance the Obama administration’s push for an health care overhaul.

He has long been a volatile figure inside MSNBC, in part for his polarizing points of view. He has sometimes clashed with Mr. Griffin and other managers over editorial decisions, and he has been publicly critical of some of his former bosses.

Mr. Olbermann did not respond to requests for comment after the suspension was announced Friday afternoon.

There was some head-scratching about MSNBC’s decision, since it is well known that Mr. Olbermann is a liberal newsman. There were defenders, including a writer for the libertarian magazine Reason, Michael C. Moynihan, who wondered why MSNBC had a “one-size-fits-all policy” about contributions.

Mr. Moynihan asked, “Isn’t it unfair to hold Olbermann, who is one of the most partisan people on television (if not of Earth), to the same standards as, say, Brian Williams? Countdown exists to promote Democratic candidates and liberal policies, which is just fine by me. So why shouldn’t Olbermann, as a private citizen, be allowed to donate money to those candidates he plumps for on television?”

Most television news organizations have rules about journalists contributing to political campaigns, but some make distinctions between their anchors and reporters and those offering opinions.

Fox example, in the wake of the Olbermann suspension, CNN issued this statement: “CNN’s policy prohibits full-time employees from making contributions to political parties or candidates.” But a CNN executive conceded these rules did not cover part-time political contributors.

MSNBC’s policy, as published by msnbc.com in 2007, states that “anyone working for NBC News who takes part in civic or other outside activities may find that these activities jeopardize his or her standing as an impartial journalist because they may create the appearance of a conflict of interest. Such activities may include participation in or contributions to political campaigns or groups that espouse controversial positions. You should report any such potential conflicts in advance to, and obtain prior approval of, the President of NBC News or his designee.”

Geez, it's not like Keith doesn't wear his political biases on his sleeve every night on his show anyway!!! They should give him a slap on the wrist and bring him back. He is an important voice for the political left in the media.

What do you all think?