Matt Taibbi on Olbermann

[Klukie]

Olbermann Suspension is Lunacy


Just quickly: I just found out about the suspension of Keith Olbermann for making political contributions. NBC apparently has some policy prohibiting journalists from donating to candidates, so they suspended him indefinitely without pay.

I went online and read the news and found the inevitable commentary by ostensible experts on journalistic ethics, who are all lining up to whale on Olbermann. One quote I found in this Bloomberg piece:

"Journalists who work for a news organization have an ethical responsibility to honor their guidelines and standards,” said Bob Steele who teaches journalism ethics at Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. “If NBC and MSNBC spelled out those guidelines clearly and Olbermann violated those guidelines, then he should pay the price."

He should pay the price? Is Bob Steele kidding? What the hell is wrong with people?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/matt-taibbi/blogs/TaibbiData_May2010/231499/83512

[DJ13]

1. That journalism teacher may not be aware, but there are no more real journalists

They are over paid stenographers reciting the lies they are told to say.

Olbermann's was an opinion show, he was fairly upfront about that.

[katanalori]

2. I found this comment on Huffington Post.................

"Keith has a solid legal ground. Please note that your employee handbook is not the law. The court is not obligated to accept it if it impedes your constitutional rights. As CEO of a 501 3 C NPO you learn that any provisions in your employee handbook do not constitute statutory law if not construed as the law. The law says that, as a 501 C 3, the organization cannot push people to support a certain candidate. However, employees have the right to exercise their free speech as long as their intention is not to influence others within the organization. There are many cases that we can cite where the USJ has ruled organizations suppressing free speech.

There is nothing like suspension indefinitely. There is fired. The MSNBC President has had several run –in with Keith and wants to payback but in a wrong way – using an unconstitutional internal policy. MSNBC better correct the problem ASAP."

[McCamy Taylor]

3. They did it to Dan Rather in 2004, they will do it to KO.

[gulliver]

4. Olbermann is going to emerge stronger because of this.

You know it. I know it.

[madmax]

5. So where are the Legal Eagles and Constitutional

Scholars, the Contract Law specialists to take this 'contract' apart and bring it before a court and make a case.

:shrug: We can all piss and moan about it but, if it's precedent, settled case law or whatever there's jack shit anyone can do.

[JDPriestly]

6. If my newscaster's corporate employer dictates how my

newscaster exercises his First Amendment rights, why should I trust either the newscaster or the corporate employer.

Corporate employers need to separate themselves from the news staff.

The news should be entirely independent from the ideological, business or personal concerns of a broadcast corporation.

The news is supposed to be a public service, not an ad, not an ideological statement by the corporation itself.

[Bozita]

7. K&R