Keith Olbermann Special Comment: False Promise Of 'Objectivity'

[cal04]

Run time: 12:42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lOMwWO5QaE   Posted on YouTube: November 16, 2010 By YouTube Member: PoliticsNewsNews Views on YouTube: 6   Posted on DU: November 16, 2010 By DU Member: cal04 Views on DU: 6323

 

[Radical Activist]

1. The press was a complete failure leading up to Iraq.

We can't let them forget it because little has changed.

[bluerum]

2. Grand slam Mr. O. Grand slam.

[greensleeve]

3. Bravo!!!!!

[Mojorabbit]

4. Yeow! Well done! nt

[ThePhilosopher04]

5. Looks like Mr. Koppel has a new asshole...

courtesy of Mr. Olbermann...well done Keith!!

[derby378]

6. I gotta admit...

...KO has given all of America something substantial to chew on.

[mirrera]

7. Brilliant... Hero. N/T

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Subarashiyo!

great!

[pnorman]

16. "Osore wo shiranai!"

Fearless

[AsahinaKimi]

23. hai..

daitanfuteki

[pnorman]

25. bold.fearless

(I had to dig out my Sharp PW-A840 for that!)

[redirish28]

9. BRAVO He hit the nail on the head with the Iraq war coverage and

Koppel needs to put it in his pipe and smoke it!

[Grassy Knoll]

10. The Koppel article.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111202857.html

[Mosaic]

11. Organic growth

Great point. History will judge you well KO.

[Proud_Lefty]

12. YAY! So glad he's back

I just love Keith. He always gives me hope because he sees it how it is and doesn't hold back. Yippee!!

[politicalmajority]

13. Ted Koppel Is a Joke!

Ted Koppel is not a man of integrity.

[totodeinhere]

65. You don't know what you are talking about.

Koppel has won every major broadcasting industry honor, including 41 Emmy Awards, eight George Foster Peabody Awards, ten duPont-Columbia Awards, ten Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists. Among his other tributes are the first Gold Baton in the history of the duPont-Columbia Awards for Nightline's weeklong series originating from South Africa, the Gabriel Personal Achievement Award from the National Catholic Association of Broadcasters and Communicators and selection as a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France. He has received more than 20 honorary degrees from universities in the United States.

http://www.npr.org/people/5448671/ted-koppel

Just because you disagree with his comments about KO you are going to throw this distinguished journalist under the bus.

[vanbean]

73. Koppel crawled under the bus himself.

[totodeinhere]

77. With just one article? Are we not allowed to disagree anymore? Or do we have to

vilify anyone we disagree with no matter who it is?

[vanbean]

82. Well, as you can see by the posts below, it's not just one article. So, your premiss is amiss.

As far as that goes, you can crawl under the bus with just one article. Why are you such a Koppel fan?

[TheMadMonk]

93. It's a small conscience for a nation/world. However, a journalist should be judged...

...not only on what he reports on and how well he does it, but also on what he DOES NOT report that he bloody well should have.

Furthermore looked at in hindsight, with the knowledge that even back then many of the principals of PNAC were hard at work, his reporting looks a whole lot less like hard hitting reporting at its finest, and a lot more like a political wing hit piece on Carter.

The major diference between then and now seems to be the apparently justified contempt they have for the intelligence of the viewing public. And with the consolidation of mass media ownership into just a few hands they no longer even have to make a pretense at journalistic integrity.

[kenfrequed]

95. No,

He crawled under it by being a shill for 'official sources' and he rarely ever challenged anyone he interviewed on nightline. FAIR did a few analysis of his program back in the 1980's and 1990's and found many disappointing comparisons regarding who he had on his show and what opinions were allowed to be heard.

[MinM]

69. Newsweek noted a basic disparity between the image and function of Ted Koppel

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2801

Back in 1987, Newsweek noted a basic disparity between the image and function of Ted Koppel: “The anchor who makes viewers feel that he is challenging the powers that be on their behalf is in fact the quintessential establishment journalist.”

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MinM/57

[MinM]

71. Ted Koppel's incessant praise of Rush Limbaugh

ABC and the rise of Rush Limbaugh

The following brief history of ABC offers a perfect snapshot of everything that has gone wrong with the media. This remarkable story includes ABC's takeover by a conservative parent corporation, the demise of the Fairness Doctrine, the rightward shift of the evening news, the rise of conservative talk radio, and the cozy relationship between a state and a press that are supposed to be separate...

Ted Koppel's incessant praise of Rush Limbaugh is also an attempt to bring him into the mainstream. The back cover of See, I Told You So blurbs: "As no less a liberal than Ted Koppel... said, 'You ignore him at your peril.'" On television, Koppel has laughed with admiration over Limbaugh, calling him "terribly articulate." But the anchor of Nightline is far from liberal; indeed, Rush Limbaugh had to publicly apologize to Koppel for calling him one. And researchers have criticized Nightline for featuring a highly disproportionate number of experts who are white male conservatives...

[vanbean]

75. Thank you MinM. That was very informative. Sad and scary. But informative.

Thanks again.

[pnorman]

94. Initially a luke warm supporter of KO,

after viewing that video, I am now an enthusiastic admirer him! I'm (almost!) tempted to bring TV back into my life. I fully agreed with his assessment of Koppel, but I still held some "for old times sake" admiration of him ---- until I read the above! Thanks for that!

[pnorman]

14. "I criticized President Obama more this week than Fox criticized President Bush in eight years."

n/t

[Enthusiast]

40. Exactly.

Keith and Rachel have more objectivity in their pinky fingers than the entire rest of the M$M.

[pnorman]

59. I expected him to be ultimately let back on by the network owners,

but cap in hand, and missing at least one ball. But far from it!

I've been off the TV matrix for quite a few years and get him only on-line. There I found him occasionally "full of himself", and somewhat irritating. But that video was PURE GOLD!, and fully worthy of the Edward R. Murrow Award! GO, KEITH, GO!

We're going into Round Three, and I'm beginning to feel a lot better about the outcome!

[bullwinkle428]

46. And that's EXACTLY what causes KO & RM to get thrown under the bus

from time to time here, by a select group of posters!

Call them the "No pundit pure enough for me" contingent. They really really want their own "Hannity" even though they wouldn't admit that in a thousand years.

[Flying Dream Blues]

91. Best part...that and "we don't make up facts here" nt

[donheld]

15. OMFG

That is great television. Many will lament Keith's words or tones but who can prove him wrong? I think he's dead on.

[madamesilverspurs]

17. As I listened to him, I couldn't help wondering

what Ashleigh Banfield might add.

[burnsei sensei]

18. The distinction between the factual and the true

is one that is often lost on dullards like Koppel.

[NRaleighLiberal]

19. absolutely brilliant. K and R

[DeSwiss]

20. YES!

I love the smell of truth.

K&R

[hourglass1]

21. DAMN!

[GodlessBiker]

22. K&R

[Clyde39]

24. I hope Tom Brokaw watched this

Keith was brilliant and Tom has been critical of him for some time. How did Tom "handle" the invasion of Iraq?

[TuxedoKat]

26. Tom

had better not give Keith any reason to criticize him or he will regret it!

[UrbScotty]

83. Right on! (nt)

[xxqqqzme]

62. I think tom's lips were

stitched to *'s ass because there haven't moved. His face is still buried between his cheeks.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. he shoots, he scores...

K& f'ing R. Why do so many hate KO? He speaks "inconvenient truths" that piss off both "sides"

[Bozita]

28. best. televised. commentary. ever. !.

[JDPriestly]

56. I second that, Bozita

[Wind Dancer]

29. Keith nailed it!!!!

It was his best commentary. Thanks for posting!!

K&R

[TheeHazelnut]

30. And by riding the Iran Hostage Crisis, Koppel was being partisan, anti-Carter

and helped put Ronnie Reagan in the White House.

[Eric Condon]

32. Not to mention this gem

“Henry Kissinger is, plain and simply, the best secretary of state we have had in 20, maybe 30 years -- certainly one of the two or three great secretaries of state of our century,” Koppel said in an interview (quoted in Columbia Journalism Review, March/April 1989). Koppel added: “I’m proud to be a friend of Henry Kissinger. He is an extraordinary man. This country has lost a lot by not having him in a position of influence and authority.”

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2801

[sabrina 1]

79. I wonder why he is so concerned

about someone who has far more integrity than he ever had from what we are learning. Keith, otoh, even though he is up front about his political leanings, still will not enable this president when he is doing wrong.

Koppel may have been part of the problem after all. And has been called upon once again, to slap down any semblance of a free press. Nothing would surprise me.

[Ramulux]

31. I think Mr. Koppel will think twice

before going after Keith. I dont know many people who enjoy being humiliated for 12 straight minutes on prime time cable news.

[MinM]

67. Koppel's coming up on NPR: Talk of the Nation

In the 2PM ET hour. Should be interesting. :radio: :popcorn:

[sabrina 1]

33. Excellent, and unlike Koppel's Op Ed, factual.

It seems that what Keith has done on MSNBC is scaring a lot of people. When he was new, when his audience was relatively small, they didn't bother with him. But the more successful he gets, the more we see this 'false equivalency' argument. Interesting that the it is the same charge by every critic! Mmmm, makes you wonder, are they all in the same club or something? That club that wants to control what we 'lesser people' know?

It's sad to hear Jon Stewart and Ted Koppel both attacking Keith with the same uninformed and false charge and using the same comparisons.

Koppel doesn't really surprise me. I was very angry at him and Charlie Rose, both of whom I used to watch, during the Bush administraton. That was a time that required people who had a microphone to question every lie to challenge the liars and to distance themselves from those in power so that they could be objective, rather than supportive as they were, of some of the most tragic lies with the worst of consequences for this country and Iraq we could imagine.

But Jon Stewart spouting the same 'message' did disappoint me and I'll probably never have the same respect for him again.

Murdoch took over the U.S. media and rather than challenge his yellow journalism at a critical time in our history, the networks tried to emulate him. It was shamefully cowardly of them.

Until Keith came along, I remember I simply could not watch Television knowing how much they were covering up and/or when they did have the war criminals on, refusing to challenge them. It was too painful to watch.

Keith's success is obviously a problem for those who do not benefit from truth being told, and Koppel and Stewart would have been better off not doing their dirty work for them.

Keith is brilliant and he gets better when falsely accused. This was a brilliant response to a sloppy, as he pointed out, Op Ed that included some assumptions that were apparently wrong.

[Enthusiast]

44. Nice.....nt

[rainy]

52. You are so right! I hate how the media keep getting it all wrong

how they allow the right so much air time even the ones who have lost elections. They never treat what's left of the left with any respect.

I was so happy that Robert Byrd was so bravely standing up against the war. The first time I heard him speak on cspan, of course because you know the media never let his words be heard, I cried.

The media allow republican senators and governers to give their opinions why did they not cover Robert Byrd at that time?

It was painful to watch tv like you said.

[sabrina 1]

80. I remember Robert Byrd's brilliant and passionate speech

against the war on CSpan also, rainy. I cried too when I heard it and had hope for a few minutes that he might be able to influence them not to go to war. Right after him, Hillary stood up and I was stunned to hear her excuses for supporting it. Since then I have never supported her for anything, Senate or President. I don't support war-mongers.

But you're right, Byrd's speech was not covered on the MSM. Larry King did have him on several times and his attacks on Bush were brilliant, his outrage over the loss of civil liberties etc, but I don't recall any coverage of his brilliant defenses of the Constitution anywhere else.

Keith will need to watch his back. This country doesn't like truth-tellers, because there is so much to hide.

[JDPriestly]

57. Jon Stewart was way off the mark in claiming that MSNBC and FOX

are two sides of the same coin (or something that meant that). MSNBC not only has Scarborough, a fanatical Republican, and gives him free reign, but it broadcasts Cenk and Ratigan. Cenit is highly critical of the Obama administration and both he and Ratigan expose corruption whenever and wherever they see it. Do they miss a lot? Yes. Do they have to prioritize stories and therefore leave some important ones out? Yes. Do they repeat the stories you see on other stations? Not as much as the other stations copy and mimic each other.

MSNBC is the best. And I would bet that MSNBC, of all the news media, attracts the most critical and independent viewers.

Good work Keith.

[liberation]

68. I lost a big deal of respect for Jon Stewart

It is not that his false equivalence is a gross fallacy, and I don't care that much that he thinks MSNBC and FOX are the same, after all he has to protect his employer, Viacom, and their market share by attacking their two main rivals (News Corp and GE/Comcast).

What really bothered me about Mr. Funny pants is that after 30 years of "morning in America" hunting season on liberals declared by the right, after 8 years of one of the most reactionary administration in recent American history, after 2 illegal and useless wars which have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, after a long sequence of conservative acts of violence: Oklahoma City, the Twin Towers, abortion murders, etc, etc. After all that and more, apparently Mr. Stewart had more pertinent stuff to focus on his tirade like extreme Marxists trying to subdue the US constitution. Really?

So heavens forbid we call Bush a war criminal, even if he even admits as much in his own fucking novel, but in Mr. Stewards hyper concern ville... apparently, anyone who does not care much about the GOP or conservative policies in general... must obviously be some sort of "marxist" (seriously? Who uses that nowadays to refer to the left?) itching to "undermine" the US constitution. Because apparently nothing seems to undermine the US Constitution more than having the silly expectation of our government abiding by it.

The ironic thing is that I watch the Daily Show more than I have ever watched KO's show. It was just sad to see where Mr. Stewart stood in real life, not that it makes him any less funny, after all we should not expect comedians to be the standard bearers for journalistic integrity. But I am just fed up with these so-called "moderates" and their perennial efforts to move the supposed center further and further to the right.

[JDPriestly]

92. I objected to the fact that Stewart seems to consider abuse of prisoners

to be the only war crime that Bush committed. He does not seem to understand that invading another country based on the "Bush doctrine," a declaration of the right to wage war based on simply a hunch or a bit of "evidence" is the most serious and most fundamental war crime of them all. And Bush waged war on Iraq with next to no reason.

[vanbean]

76. I'm not going to watch Stewart again. Ever. Especially after his rally

when he had Chris Wallace on and told everyone how great Wallace is. Wallace is an embarrassment to himself and especially to his father. He's a little mush-mouthed whore (with apologies to whores).

[sabrina 1]

78. I think Stewart lost a lot of respect lately.

He revealed some things about himself people did not know. Mostly that he is very much like so many others in the MSM, he simply cannot see America as the bad guy. His incoherent reasons for not calling Bush a war criminal, 'because his intentions were probably good'? That was so lame, it was unworthy of the person I thought Stewart was. I'm sure Pol Pot's intentions were good also, but a War Criminal's idea of 'good' and the rest of the world's are two different things. Not to mention that Bush and his handlers had a lot more in mind than just doing good. Has no knowledge of the profiteering that has been going on?

I doubt I'll be watching him much anymore, maybe once in a while. I'll stick to the only people on TV who actually do their research and report facts. Rachel and Keith.

[DFW]

34. This should be required viewing for all journalism school graduates n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

35. K&R! Unfortunately, missed this tonight, so thanks for posting!

:applause:

[tomm2thumbs]

36. Wow - that was the last thing I expected - and Keith was brilliant in handling it

this it the tone he works best at - hopefully his adjustments will continue to shine the best light on the newsworthy aspects of his coverage - and he seems to be running with the idea he spoke about in that video.

good video - thanks for posting

[florida08]

37. Koppel was really out of line on this

Investigative journalism is the gatekeeper of our government. They are suppose to hold it accountable when they find corruption not report on the spin they hand out like candy. If it wasn't for Fox News and it's 24/7 broadcast of propaganda you wouldn't see MSNBC as partisan. The anchors on nightime MSNBC take very seriously their responsibility to the truth..the facts and summations. They don't see it's viewers as sheep to exploit but citizens to protect. And that's the difference between Fox News and MSNBC.

If Koppel didn't have his head up his ass he would see how Fox has brought down Acorn and Shirley Sherrod through it's wreckless splice and dice reporting. Not to mention it's goal to bring down the current administration because it IS the mouthpiece of the GOP. MSNBC is not the mouthpiece of the left..it's the moutpiece of the facts. The biggest difference between the Cronkite era and now is that these people can dig deeper in real time..giving the facts on the ground not 2 years later. They have good investigators and reporters coordinating toward the same purpose. Inform the viewing public.

Seems Koppel might be a bit jealous that the information highway wasn't around in his time. Not to mention the salary increases. But of course Koppel's article was in no way bias because he did mention Fox. Too scared to write an article on Beck apparently. He took on someone he thought had been weakened by previous events but he was so wrong.

[florida08]

38. I do however give Koppel credit

On April 30, 2004, Koppel read the names of the members of the United States Armed Forces who were killed in Iraq. This prompted controversy from conservatives who believed Koppel was making a political statement and from Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which felt that ABC was undermining the war effort in Iraq. Others, most notably the Washington Post television columnist, thought it was a ratings stunt for sweeps, and indeed Nightline was the highest-rated program during that time period, and had about 30% more viewers than other Nightline programs that week. Sinclair stations did not air the program.

Koppel repeated the format on May 28, 2004, reading the names of service members killed in Afghanistan, and on May 30, 2005, reading the names of all service members killed in Afghanistan or Iraq between the last program and the preparation of the program. This time, Sinclair stations aired the program as scheduled.

[wilt the stilt]

45. Total stunt

there was no before or after comment.

[florida08]

49. true

but he got a real time taste of what progressive mainstream media goes through every day. They stick their neck out because of their dedication. He's gone but they're still fighting

[Enthusiast]

39. Is this Keith's greatest editorial?

He was so completely right on in his criticism of Kopple. Nothing but rah rah leading up to and during the Iraq War while the contradictions were there for all to see.

[Rhiannon12866]

81. Everytime I see a KO "special comment," I always think he's managed to top himself...

And this one was no exception... :wow: :applause:

[Meshuga]

41. Damn!

That was perfect.

However, Keith and MSNBC will still be painted as the equivalent to the Fox News smear machine.

[Enthusiast]

42. K&R!

And just look at the state of the media right now. The entire media is allowing the right wing to define who is responsible for the country's debt. Turn it on right now, on any channel, you will hear it. "It is those tax and spend Democrats causing this debt with Obama leading the spending and taxing charge." This when taxes have actually been cut under Obama. The M$M, including the trash I am watching right now on C-Span, is utterly irresponsible.

[pleah]

43. K&R

[The Uncola]

47. Take no prisoners KO.

Cut the corporate lackeys no slack.

Ted Koppel blows chunks.

[tishaLA]

48. far and away his best special comment K&R

[HopeHoops]

50. Wow. Pulling no punches.

[zeemike]

51. KO rocks....nuff said...n/t

[ChiciB1]

53. So Many Words Of Praise, Well Deserved & Wonderful... What More Can

I add? I so appreciate the fact that we have people like KO & RM who are willing to shine a light when a light needs to be shown. Even at their own peril!

For today, these people are AS GOOD AS IT CAN GET! Would that there be MORE of them!

[KansDem]

54. K&R, KO!!!

Nailed it...and that fraud Koppel!

[JDPriestly]

55. The best broadcast I have seen on a television or cable station.

Amazingly honest. Thank you, Keith Olbermann.

[Uncle Joe]

58. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, cal.

[zipplewrath]

60. I'm not a big Olbermann fan

But I do respect this. He puts it out there. Lays it on the line, the whole time admitting he may be making a huge mistake. But he'd rather go down trying, than go down avoiding.

It's a variation of "The brave die but one death, the cowards die a thousand".

And really, on this one, he nailed it, right into concrete.

[felix_numinous]

61. KO slayed

those chickenhawks. Watch-- the only reaction he will get will be a character assassination attempt in order to discredit him, NO evidence to the contrary can be presented because it is not there.

I am so glad to see him exposing the Bush FDR coup, because the taking of SS and Medicare nearly completes the repeal of the New Deal, it is the endgame of the coup of 2000. Good to see him back on the air.

[TxVietVet]

63. Thank you, Mr. Olbermann.

One of very few on-air journalists who speak the truth and stand up for Americans.

[CLANG]

64. How can anyone argue with flawless logic like that?

[mzmolly]

66. A special, special

comment indeed. Keith should have finally laid to rest the notion that "real" reporters, of days gone by, always "feigned" fairness in spite of the evidence they're supposed to seek in reporting the news.

:toast:

[blondeatlast]

70. Koppel is misinformed and should have known better. KO should invite

him on to Countdown; it's a dialog that needs to happen for the good of the Fourth Estate--and this democracy.

It would be powerful, legendary stuff.

[butterfly77]

72. Kick,kick,kick &recommended!

:kick:

[bbgrunt]

74. exceptionally well done, Mr O!

[valerief]

84. That went to the moon, Keith! Pow! Bam! Wow!!!!! Thanks.

[suzanner]

85. Well Done, Keith!

[Martin Eden]

86. KO's VERY BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely SPOT-ON and NECESSARY :yourock:

[concreteblue]

87. WOW!

Hey Keith: How do you REALLY feel?

[totodeinhere]

88. Ted Koppel Responds to Keith Olbermann: ‘He Has His Perspective a Little Screwed Up’

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ted-koppel-responds-to-keith-olbermann-he-has-his-perspective-a-little-screwed-up_b40181

[MinM]

90. Jeff Jarvis and a few of the callers destroyed Koppel.

Poor Ted should probably just hang out with his friends like Colin Powell and retire gracefully.

[Daemonaquila]

89. Talk hard, KO!

Beautiful - speaking truth.

[Tripod]

96. Wow! Thank you for posting this. I needed to see it. I work at nignt and often miss KO's show.

[Shining Jack]

97. Too late to recommend but I gladly kick this great post.

I truly respect that man. :applause: