Hit Piece On Olbermann Was A Warning

[KingOfLostSouls]

lets be honest, this wasn't a matter of policy. MSNBC has already danced around that by saying scarborough isn't a "news reporter" like olbermann was.

this was a hit piece but more importantly, a warning.

since Comcast took over they've put former bushie's in charge of MSNBC. they know the long game here, that they couldn't just take out Olbermann without having a reason.

here comes politico with a story from a freshman news reporter which just happens to run a couple days after the GOP house takeover. with Olbermann using his new ending, "where are the jobs?" and instigating people all over the internet to start bombarding speaker boehner's office with "where are the jobs?" calls, emails, and faxes.

this is a hit and a warning, pure and simple. bushies are making it clear they're willing to sack their flagship journalist because simply put, controlling the message and taking out the main media voice is more important in the long game than profits.

MSNBC had no problem sacking phil donohue when he spoke out against the iraq war, remember?


this puts Ratigan, Maddow, Uyger, O'Donnell and all the rest on notice that dissent against Ze Empire will not be tolerated.


I know some people are saying, well he violated policy, well he did this well he did that.

we all know the truth deep down. We all know that the GOP wants us silenced and cowed. taking out the leading voice with the flagship show on MSNBC is a huge shot.


Look deep down and you'll realize its true.




oh and anyone saying he wasn't a "news" show, well then that would make him exempt as MSNBC has already claimed joe scarborough's donations make him exempt because he's not "news."

[Sanity Claws]

1. Olberman was not a news man

His show was part comedy. No serious news show would have done that worst person bit.
I liked but that is pure editorial, opinion, not news.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. And he never claimed it was

[rhett o rick]

53. On edit, I get your point. nm

[johnnyplankton]

63. You are correct, sir.

Much as I love them, Keith and Ed Schultz are not
"news" - even though they start with factual
premises - unlike FAUX, where nothing is news.

[rhett o rick]

66. Got your point. Takes me awhile some times, er most of the time. I agree. nm

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. It is the closing of American Society

fascism is coming, and we still think we are free.

[area51]

36. +1, sadly. n/t

[Enthusiast]

62. They will maintain the illusion of freedom

for as long as it's useful. I mostly blame the complicit, gullible right wing followers that don't suspect for a moment they have been duped. The same thing happened in early 1930s Germany, the people didn't know what they had bought into until it was too late. Really, this nation suffered a near fatal blow when the SCOTUS handed down the Bush v Gore decision.

[kurtzapril4]

77. Olberman and Willams got busted for violating the terms of their contracts.

Not saying it's right. In Olberman's case, at least.

[Enthusiast]

93. I call bullshit.

Joey Scar did it and nothing was done. GE donates millions yet doesn't answer to anyone. This is clearly out of malice toward Keith's political beliefs. Why wouldn't it be? Just look at the myriad examples of right wing vindictiveness. Maybe you don't mind subservience to corporations but I don't care much for it.

[Mimosa]

5. Heck yes. But Olbermann was stupid.

He's married, isn't he? He could have had his wife or girlfriend make donations. I've read it is in their contracts that NBC on air people aren't supposed to make monetary donations.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

9. Chris Matthews donated money a while back.

To Jim Moran of VA.

[NotThisTime]

10. Not married and no girlfriend anymore... maybe he wanted to exercise his right, which was not prohib

prohibited under the MSNBC contract which is not the same as the NBC contract as it turns out

[Mimosa]

19. If he wasn't legally constrained he can SUE the jerks! n/t

[sabrina 1]

90. He didn't violate his contract. That has never been the accusation.

He supposedly violated a policy, a rule which said that all employees should report political activities to the boss IF they presented a conflict of interest. Since Keith never pretended to be neutral, there was nothing for them to worry about as far as a conflict of interest. And in fact, the very people they worry about, the rightwing, have mostly been silent on this, rather than jumping on it as might be expected. And several Conservatives have stated that he did nothing wrong as they all knew his politics, and he should be re-instated.

[CC]

14. No he is not married. n/t

[rhett o rick]

54. You missed the point. CORPAMERICA can fire anyone they want for no cause.

[laughingliberal]

60. Not in the contracts, no. Company policy, yes, but not in his contract. nt

[txaslftist]

6. Warning: Read your employment contract. nt

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rhett o rick]

55. Must we spell it out for you? It had nothing to do with his stupid contract. Read the OP. nm

[sabrina 1]

87. Keith didn't violate his contract. What he did was at worst,

a minor violation of a rule, that according to NBC was not in effect anyhow.

We don't know what was in his contract. Williams did violate his contract.

[shoopnyc]

8. you're right, i have two more similar casualties...

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD (msnbc) and AARON BROWN (cnn)...remember them?

[JonLP24]

16. I remember Banfield

Aaron Brown doesn't ring a bell so I will look him up. No need to explain. I just wanted to point out I remember Banfield real well. I'd throw in Donahue as well.

[sabrina 1]

88. Yes, I remember both of them. Very sad, Aaron Brown had a good

show. There was another female reporter also who was good on the issues. Can't remember her name, but she was removed also.

[kelly1mm]

11. Just like Juan Williams was not fired from NPR for giving his opinion

like other NPR staff did regularly, but rather for pissing off NPR management. However, NPR and NBC will probably get away with it because both Juan and Keith did violate their contracts.

[sabrina 1]

23. You've seen Keith's contract? Because on CNN tonight

Paul Begala and Joanne Walsh did not know what was in his contract and said they would have to wait to see if he had violated it.

Do you have a link to where we can all get that information? You have a scoop!! First person that actually knows what was in Keith's contract. This is why I love the Internet, I get the news before CNN gets it. :eyes:

[kelly1mm]

24. You are right. I should have said they both are alleged to have

violated their contracts.

[sabrina 1]

26. Well we know that Juan Willians did violate his contract. We don't

know about Keith yet. Anyhow, thanks for your response :-)

[Leopolds Ghost]

31. What NPR did is wrong too. Some people need to stop attacking the principle of liberal discourse.

Which is unfettered freedom to disagree in a civil manner. Society is built on civil argumentation, which the prophets of regimentation and separation want to put a stop to by chaining people to a TV channel on a box that you pay for.

[sabrina 1]

51. I agree, I am sick of the PC nonsense that goes on with the media

here on all sides. It would have served a far better purpose to have a discussion on NPR about Juan Cole's fears of another group Americans. To remind people of the danger of drumming up fear of a group of people based on their religion or ethnicity. It might have caused him and many others to think and even change their minds.

I was merely pointing out that NPR had a contract that was violated, while we don't know what is in Keith's and MSNBC has not said he violated his contract.

Otherwise I agree with you.

[Tunkamerica]

81. Wasn't it Juan Williams? Juan Cole is an historian?

[sabrina 1]

86. Yes, sorry, my mistake. Thanks for the correction.

[kenfrequed]

71. Warning! False Equivalency argument!

Why do I run into so many of these false equivalency arguments here. The sort of phony 'pox on both your houses' BS that passes for an argument?

Keith was punished for contributing to political campaigns as a private citizen

NPR did what it did to williams because, as one of their commentators, while working for another network, and doing the same job he did for NPR, was making making comments in the public sphere that were hurtful and discriminatory and against NPR policy. Oh and he had actually been Warned about this before. Repeatedly.

You cannot compare Williams to Olbermann here or their situations.

[SemperEadem]

83. thank you

I am seeing more and more "both sides are bad" bullshit rhetoric that is wholly false and repulsive.

No, JW and KO's situations are no where near being alike.

MSNBC is going to bring him back because he makes them too much money. This is just a game of
management having the bigger dick right now. Once the revenue fact gets slapped up side their heads
they'll go flaccid and Keith will be back with some choice words about the situation.

[sabrina 1]

89. Thank you, and Juan Williams violated his contract. So far as we

know so far, Keith did not. At worst, what he did was a minor infraction of a rule and even that is not clear since the rule says he would not have to report his donations IF there was no conflict of interest.

I'm sure he's talking to his lawyers right now.

[Cleita]

12. Remember back in the 2008 election when

Olbermann was relieved of covering the election because he clashed with Scarborough and Tweety was also taken off of anchor duty. It turns out back then that Scarborough was the reporter and Olbermann was the talk show host. Hmmm. Isn't this a little shell game MSNBC is playing?

Read this:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94377301

After months of complaints that their shows are biased, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews will no longer anchor political programming for the 24-hour cable news channel MSNBC, the network confirmed Sunday night.

The tangible effect is minor. Olbermann and Matthews will be replaced by NBC's David Gregory as anchor of the handful of major political events left this year, such as the presidential debates and Election Day. The two men will retain their shows and remain political commentators at the cable network.

But the decision reveals the tension at the heart of MSNBC's recent ratings success. While it remains in third place in the ratings behind Fox News and CNN, MSNBC has surged with the success of Olbermann's Countdown. The liberal prime-time talk show host frequently blasts President Bush and other conservatives and has also been a relentless critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

MSNBC this year appears to have adopted a left-of-center bent, as it dropped conservative journalist Tucker Carlson's show. It has created a show, set to debut tonight, built around liberal Air America talk show host Rachel Maddow. more at link

[Steely_Dan]

13. The Timing of This...

...is rather strange.

[Enthusiast]

65. I think we are in for a series of

shocks. The internet will come to resemble something far different than it does today. Why should corporate America allow all this internet criticism, they can stop it any time they wish.

[Lifelong Protester]

15. I think you are right, and just from what I have gleaned here

sounds like NBC/MSNBC/Comcast, whomever is the ultimate authority here, cherry-picked who they were going to reprimand.

And I agree with Michael Moore, if Olberman's donations are problematic, why not GE's? Aren't corporations on par with 'real' people now?

I think it is a reichstag warning.

[TroglodyteScholar]

17. self-delete

nevermind

[Mira]

18. I suspect something sinister. I think the charge they bring is not the reason. n/t

[CLANG]

70. Anyone see Keith lately? Has he commented at all online?

He seems very silent to me. I hope he's OK.

[KingOfLostSouls]

20. republicans having a laughter siezure.

should give you a hint what its all about.

[Tsiyu]

21. And in the New Amurika

The Corporation he works for can do as they please.

He, as a mere human being, is constrained by the strictest of rules.

Amazing, isn't it?

We all must become corporations.

[Odin2005]

22. All I know is that this STNKS to High Heaven!

[EFerrari]

25. You nailed it. A hit and a warning. n/t

[tavalon]

41. I think it was meant as a shot across the bow

Thing is, we're shooting back. I don't think this will stand.

[Doctor_J]

79. we're shooting back?

really? You think they give a shit about a petition?

COme back from Denial.

[tavalon]

84. Cute retort

But most people I've spoken to are also sending letters to MSNBC and boycotting them (I did and am). That's what's going to work. The petition is merely an opportunity for them to see just how well this boycott is going to work (call it an exit poll, if you will).

BTW, a better pithy comment is something like De Nile isn't just a river in Egypt or come back from Denali. Play on words, you see?

[Doctor_J]

85. yeah, except that one's been used 10,000,000,000,000 times,

a lot like petitioning right-wing corporations to stop acting like right-wing corporations.

[tavalon]

91. As I said, think of it as exit polling

They'll get the message.

[Kablooie]

27. I wonder what surprises they have in store for Rachel?

[Joe Fields]

28. total bullshit.

[Leopolds Ghost]

30. So you don't think Comcast, a cable company, will go after NBC broadcast next?

In the name of prying more people off to cable by reducing their over-the-air offerings, reducing their viewcount to increase profit like the NBC honcho who fired Conan deliberately called for?

Oh, I forgot, I bet you get all your news from cable too. Hell, cable is practically a PUBLIC SERVICE! and they are ALL respectable corporate citizens!

[Joe Fields]

32. tinfoil hat time.

business is business. 'nuff said.

[Leopolds Ghost]

33. So it's tinfoil hat to assert a cable company won't further defund its broadcast flagship?

Or re-align the messaging of its cable news affiliate to "keep up with Fox"?

[fascisthunter]

37. read this

http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/what-role-did-comcast-play-keith-olbermanns

[rhett o rick]

57. Wow, how can anyone counter such a persuasive argument. nm

[kenfrequed]

74. Hmm

Yeah, it is as though all he has to do is say 'bullshit' and accuse his opponents of 'conspiracy theory' and it automatically means he doesn't have to ever interract with the facts.

[rhett o rick]

75. It's as if his "bullshit" is supposed to end the discussion. nm

[defendandprotect]

78. What's BS is that a monopoly cable company now has control of NBC....

and that Comcast makes $500 million and more a year -- perhaps 2X that --

from internet PORNOGRPAHY!

Find any problems with any of that?

[Leopolds Ghost]

29. Where is Phil & Dan now? Prediction: Cable Junkies who forgot Phil & Dan Rather may forget KO :(

Which does not bode well for suggestions that this can be reversed by concerted effort. NOHAMOTYO.

[Astrad]

34. There is another side to this

When I saw Bill Kristol in the Weekly Standard criticizing MSNBC for this decision I became suspicious. Maybe MSNBC has a point. They want to distinguish themselves from Fox. Fox clearly allows this sort of thing (hosts making political donations). It's more proof that they're a political operation and not a news network. I wouldn't want to see MSNBC tarred with the 'they're the left wing Fox' brush (which to some extent they already are). So maybe it has to be done. They just better bring him back!

[Doremus]

43. Had to be done. They better bring him back. Had to be done. They better bring him back.

Sybill, is that you? ;)

Love how you tacked on that last sentence like it would disguise your little hit piece. Too funny!

[Enthusiast]

68. I agree 100%

Plenty of right wing talking points to wade through on the DU.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

35. media has become a conservative dictatorship.

dictatorships rely on selective rule enforcement to shut up dissenters.

No codes or rules are being enforced against pro-conservative journalists.


Applauding the silencing of KO as appropriate punishment for rule-breakers, especially while ignoring free passes given to all that is pro-republifascist, is classic authoritarian behavior.

[fascisthunter]

38. the Corporate Elite OWN the Media... why are people here suggesting there is no bias

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. I have no idea--especially since the double standard is so damn blatant.

it makes no sense.

[Enthusiast]

72. Blatant and now in your face.

It has been becoming more so as time goes on.

It was ridiculously one sided after the 2,000 election and during the lead-up to the Iraq War. I mean think about it, in 2,000 the results of a presidential election were falsified and the media was MIA. This nation has suffered a slow motion coup d'état.

[Mr. Mustard]

39. I Cannot Believe My Eyes and Ears

The willingness of pundits to meekly and immediately play nice and be sure of the rules before speaking out.

Paul Begala, Joan Walsh.


Yet another opportunity to stand up for our own, but no you had to be sure of the rules.

All you had to do was repeat that Keith Olbermann was a liberal and Joe Scarborough a republicon.


Remind that Markos of Daily Kos has been banned from MSNBC and now Keith has been suspended.

Suspended indefinitely? A little harsh don't you think? How about, a slap on the wrist, a public acknowledgment and fine.

But no, Paul and Joan meekly and weakly play little fair Democrats who care about the rules and being fair above all else, as we get pounded and shouted down day after day from the republicon noise machine.

The point is not to be fair, the point is to take every second of air time and defend Democrats and attack republicons.

IOKIYAR.

I cannot believe the team I am on. Managerial class hand wringers who run away every time their paychecks might be threatened. I guess that is why the networks use them and not Markos or Taibi or Grayson.

Rosa Parks - how dare her break a rule? She should have been punished. I mean rules are rules.

Do you not understand that since Reagan, the right has chipped away at the media and we have just about lost it?

We cut taxes, saved the economy, created jobs, stopped pre-existing condition abuses, are fighting the banks, and does anyone know these things? Two years ago was all, yet we just elected the same freaking republicons to the House?

Only the bloggers like us know what our Dems did well.

But hey, let us play nice and fair and by all means don't break a rule designed to favor the very people destroying our democracy.

And don't EVER get angry, why that would be unseemly.

[greenmutha]

42. +1000

I wish I could K&R your post!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

47. Only the bloggers like us know what our Dems did well.

yes, totally.

:(

I'm so tired of attempting to correct the propagandized. They're so angry and sure of themselves. I'm not a screamer, and I'm not good at remembering the best soundbites to reply.

Without progressive money, thinktanks, media networks, and etc., no one else but us will know what progressives do well.

[WillyT]

40. K & R !!!

:mad:

:kick:

[tjwash]

44. NBC is owned by GE, who brings good things to light...like triggers for nukes and other weapons

I always felt kept they Olbermann around as a token gesture to grab a couple extra consumers, and was always expendable to those heartless bastards.

[zeemike]

69. Not to mention the many lucrative contracts they have with the

Military industrial complex...I think people would be shocked to find out just what GE is getting paid to do with our tax dollars.

[Gregorian]

45. This is how we move to the right.

Even if that wasn't what this was about, it is a perfect example of how they use their power to keep us from getting too strong.

[lovelyrita]

46. This is why I have not watched any tv news in years.

I find it easier to think for myself and back up the validity of the journalist if it's in written form.

[southernyankeebelle]

49. Am in total agreement with you. As soon as I heard that COMCAST was going to take over I

knew it was going to find a way to start getting the liberal reporters off the air.

[Turborama]

50. K&R! I've been thinking exactly the same thing about "where are the jobs?" being the real "crime"

Against the "Ministry of Truth".

[bobburgster]

52. If what you say is true.....

I'm with you all the way....it's disgraceful. K&R

(Not questioning your facts, just haven't had time to read about the whole suspension.)

[Capitalocracy]

56. Seems there are a lot of questions here

It smells fishy. I haven't had much opportunity to research this one either, so I don't know what to think.

[lobodons]

58. "News" shows reads 10 minutes of fiction?? (Thurber)

I guess that's now the standard definition of "News" set by Faux Noise. Reading Fiction that is.

[amborin]

59. k and r

[MissDeeds]

This whole issue needs scrutiny

The notion that an employer can limit an employee's right to financially support the candidate of his/her choice screams out for judicial review. Matthews and Morning Joe get a pass, but Keith falls into some hair splitting nether world of anchor/journalist/commentator/whatever - a category into which neither Matthews nor Scarborough seem to fit. Is it ever okay for a contract to include a clause that, in effect, denies someone their civil rights?

This is really, really disturbing on so many levels. I hope Olbermann has a team of lawyers at work right now.

[glinda]

61. You are tricked into a discussion if he was news or not. Now why would the

focus turn to this you might ask?
Well, Keith had a lot of FACTS on his program. There was a lot of TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE.So now is the point for his coming back or even for his reputation ti be BRANDED as "opinion"? We all know, Faux knows, many people know that Keith educated people by allowing the truth to be discussed on his program.
Does that make him a newsperson considering that Faux and CNN and many other outlets are NOT really news? Do they want only watered down programs?
I suspect so.
The whole discussion is moot or is that why FAUX, since they do not ever tell the truth, is allowed to fundraise with no restrictions since they have NO reputation or integrity to protect?

[colsohlibgal]

64. Not The First Disgrace at MSNBC

Donahue comfortably was the highest rated show at MSNBC when he got canned because he dared question the need to attack Iraq. This clashed with the overall pom pom cheerleading for the invasion going on at this time on the network.

MSNBC also bent to Bush Cabal lobbying by changing their theme for coverage of this war from "America At War" (as I recall) to 'Operation Iraqi Freedom".

Worse of all they replaced Phil with homophobic racist clown/psychopath Michael Weiner (Savage).

I'm actually surprised they've let Keith and Rachel go to the extent they have - but this could indeed signal a sea change.

[defendandprotect]

67. Agreed ... this is about more than the upfront nonsense ... never understood anyway why GE....

a far right company = Nazis would have presented Olberman and other liberal shows.

Looks like some recognized that the electorate was going to put Dem in power after W

and so they went with that -- after all a Dem would not be buttering their MIC bread.

Maybe the evidence was so overwhelming that they felt there had to be some outlet for

the liberal voice. Only someone on the inside, I think, can answer those questions!

And so I fully agree re Comcast -- this is a company making more than $500 million a year

on INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY ... and Congress has not only let them become a monopoly presence

in cable TV, but now OWN NBC!! But looks like this takeover is intended to turn everything

to the right. I'm still interested in why we were given this little spell of relef?

What was it -- almost 4 years?


Further -- it isn't only money coming into the campaigns .... this all certainly has a

lot to do with us electing one after another millionaire to Congress -- and multi-

millionares!! And Bloomberg up next looking at the odds? Yikes!

[Enthusiast]

73. K&R. The goal might be

to provoke some act of violence by someone in the left wing community giving TPTB an excuse to use the full force of the Patriot Act.

[LaPera]

76. MSNBC has trashed Donahue - Olbermann & Jesse Ventura simply because they had liberal points of view

MSNBC has trashed their own highest rated shows simply and only because they are liberals or had liberal points of view at the time...Phil Donahue - Keith Olbermann & Jesse Ventura......

MSNBC wouldn't even allow Jesse Ventura's show to go on the air, (after a single show) - MSNBC instead decided to just paid off Ventura's two-year contract - because Ventura too was against the obvious lies as the reasons we were given to go to war with Iraq.

ALL three, (Donahue, Olbermann & Ventura) have been proved correct, the Iraq invasion, war for profits was indeed ALL based on lies.

Yet still corporations want to silence every progressive liberal voice and they prefer if we'd just watch & get all our information from the republican corporate media arm Fox news.

It's shameful, as the elitist wealthy pound it in to us every day how America is so great because we have "freedom of speech......" NOT if one disagrees with the corporate machine's imperialistic point of view!

[ElsewheresDaughter]

80. yes indeed a shot across the bow....for all liberal talking heads

[ChadwickHenryWard]

82. "Look deep down." What does that mean?

I don't just believe what I want to believe. Do you have any evidence that KO's suspension was for any reason other than the one stated by MSNBC?

[LawnLover]

92. Hey, I'm all for a good conspiracy

but this post is ridiculous.