The self-styled Edward R. Murrow of cable news, Keith Olbermann, of the witness relocation news network (MSNBC) was suspended last week for making financial contributions to Democrats. Much has been made over the justness of Olbermann’s suspension. Andrew, being the ardent Olbermann fan that he is, believes that poor ol’ Keith got a raw deal. The bottom line is that MSNBC has a rule, Olbermann broke it, and he was punished. However, the more important point is that the rule Olbermann broke is patently absurd.
Hiding under the false pretense of objectivity, NBC News has a rule that forbids alleged journalists from donating to political parties. This rule holds up the façade of impartiality for a media network that is entirely in the tank for the Democratic Party. In place of this ridiculous rule, NBC and MSNBC hosts and analysts should be permitted to make political contributions and be forced to disclose where their money was spent.
Not allowing political contributions allows MSNBC to make outrageous claims. A perfect example of the disingenuous self-righteous attitude at MSNBC came from Rachel Maddow last Friday:
In the video, Maddow documents political endorsements and contributions made by FOX hosts, specifically Sean Hannity. Is it a surprise to viewers that Sean Hannity supports Republicans? No. FOX is honest. On the other hand, MSNBC is still a Potemkin village, with the only Lincoln Steffenss left residing in GE headquarters.
Phil Griffin, the President of MSNBC, still thinks/claims that his network is impartial. In a recent interview, Griffin challenged “Show me an example of us fund-raising.” Griffin’s claim was echoed by Ms. Maddow in the above video. You see, although the entire cast at MSNBC may be dedicated liberals, they still adhere to strict journalistic standards. Political fund-raising is where the line is drawn between the dastardly FOX News, and the respected home of journalism, MSNBC.
Funny thing about that. Media critic Johhny Dollar took up Griffin’s challenge. His findings may have shocked Pauline Kael, but not too many other people. Using the very same standards that Griffin and Maddow used to pillory FOX, it turns out MSNBC has made a cottage industry out of fundraising for Democrats. Democrats like Alan Grayson, Michael Dorf, Justin Coussoule, Jack Conway and other regularly took to MSNBC’s airwaves to seek funds. In addition, leftwing groups, like MoveOn.org and others were given free ‘infomercial’ time on MSNBC.
None of this information should surprise you. If you haven’t ever watched MSNBC I highly recommend it. It’s like Comedy Central, only funny. For anyone at MSNBC, or any of the other networks for that matter, to claim to be objective is an insult to their viewers’ intelligence. Politico says that MSNBC is having an “identity crisis.” No, it’s not. MSNBC decided long ago to be the home of the deranged Left. The rule Olbermann broke is nonsensical. The rule is applied subjectively and sparingly. As examined above, MSNBC breaks their own rule quite regularly. The only people Maddow and Griffin may be fooling with their preening and posturing are themselves.
