FAIR action alert on Olbermann:

[jpgray]

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4192

...

Olbermann's donations are in some ways comparable to fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's $4,200 contribution to Republican candidate Derrick Kitts in 2006 (MSNBC.com, 7/15/07). When that was uncovered, though, NBC dismissed this as a problem, since Scarborough "hosts an opinion program and is not a news reporter." Olbermann, of course, is also an opinion journalist--but MSNBC seems to hold him to a different standard.

Two years earlier, the Washington Post reported (1/18/04):

NBC chief executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including $3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific to news coverage."

Wright, however, was reported in a recent New York magazine piece (10/3/10) to have told then-NBC News chief Neal Shapiro to move to the right of Fox News in response to the September 11 attacks: "We have to be more conservative then they are," the magazine quoted Wright.

MSNBC's treatment of Olbermann is also in sharp contrast to Fox News' handling of Sean Hannity, who was revealed by Salon (9/23/10) to have given $5,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.), a Tea Party favorite--without Fox expressing any public disapproval. Hannity has allowed Republican candidates to use his Fox program for fundraising (Mediaite, 10/17/10); as Salon noted, Hannity was this year's keynote speaker at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner.

...

ACTION:
Ask NBC and MSNBC to explain their inconsistent standards regarding political donations.

CONTACT:

MSNBC President
Phil Griffin
[e-mail]

NBC News President
Steve Capus
[e-mail]

Phone: [phone]

[krispos42]

1. Rec to the infinate power

Bam!!!

[highplainsdem]

2. K&R

[deacon]

3. Fire Phil. n/t

[NuclearDem]

4. KnR

We've gotta hold MSNBC accountable for this

[sabrina 1]

5. What's been amazing is to watch the

stenographers on TV talking about the 'integrity of journalism'.

If we had integrity in journalism there would not have been a war in Iraq. The Abramoff Affairs would not have been glossed over as 'well both sides do it'. ABC would never have considered Andrew Breitbart as a commenter on U.S. elections.

Judith Miller would never have been allowed to publish the lies and distortions she published that helped get this country into war.

If they want to have a conversation about Journalistic Integrity, then let's do that. It's way past due.

But in the meantime, not one of those looking so sad about Keith doing what most people probably expected him to do since he never pretended, as they do, to be impartial, are fit to wipe his shoes when it comes to truth in journalism. And he's never even pretended to be a journalist.

They should all remember before they point fingers elsewhere, that the entire U.S. media was judged to be somewhere around 54 on the World's Free Press scale during the years when Bush was in office.

Colbert was so right about them.

[Bozita]

7. +1 ... Well done!

[leftstreet]

9. +1

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. +1 zillion

this should be an OP itself!

[greenmutha]

12. +1 brazillion

"If they want to have a conversation about Journalistic Integrity, then let's do that. It's way past due."

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

13. Exactly. We need objectivity, NOT "fairness."

Objectivity felled a president and got us out of disastrous war.

[dmr]

19. This ought to be it's own OP

Agree 100%

[lbrtbell]

6. Kicked, rec'd, and puking my guts out

The hypocrisy here is nauseating!

[me b zola]

8. K&R

[niyad]

10. k and r

[ProfessionalLeftist]

14. Has anyone else actually emailed these guys? I have.

SUBJECT: The suspension of Keith Olbermann

Myself and millions of others are entitled to an explanation of the
very apparent inconsistencies in your standards regarding political
donations and the suspension of Mr. Olbermann. Absent any viable
explanation for these inconsistencies, this action on your part
appears to be a 'witchhunt' designed to silence liberal or progressive
voices in the media.

Olbermann's donations are in some ways comparable to fellow MSNBC host
Joe Scarborough's $4,200 contribution to Republican candidate Derrick
Kitts in 2006 (MSNBC.com, 7/15/07). When that was uncovered, though,
NBC dismissed this as a problem, since Scarborough "hosts an opinion
program and is not a news reporter." Olbermann, of course, is also an
opinion journalist--but MSNBC seems to hold him to a different
standard.

Two years earlier, the Washington Post reported (1/18/04):

NBC chief executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999,
including $3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
and $1,000 to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC
News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures.
NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives
to make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions
specific to news coverage."

Wright, however, was reported in a recent New York magazine piece
(10/3/10) to have told then-NBC News chief Neal Shapiro to move to the
right of Fox News in response to the September 11 attacks: "We have to
be more conservative then they are," the magazine quoted Wright.

MSNBC's treatment of Olbermann is also in sharp contrast to Fox News'
handling of Sean Hannity, who was revealed by Salon (9/23/10) to have
given $5,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.), a
Tea Party favorite--without Fox expressing any public disapproval.
Hannity has allowed Republican candidates to use his Fox program for
fundraising (Mediaite, 10/17/10); as Salon noted, Hannity was this
year's keynote speaker at the National Republican Congressional
Committee's annual fundraising dinner.

Maybe your network does not care if it appears to be placing a boot to
the heads of progressive/liberal voices on your networks. In that
case, remain silent on this issue. However, if you want this action on
your part to be perceived as something different than what it
currently appears to be, then an explanation is called for.

We look forward to hearing it.

Regards,

[jgraz]

15. Why I still donate to FAIR. They've been doing great work for 25 years

[WA98296]

16. Let's start emailing Griffin's boss, and shut his phone down on Monday

[droidamus2]

17. Is the wind blowing?

I think this has a lot to due with Olberman's corporate handlers putting their fingers to the political winds and letting the perceived public opinion drive their programming. With Obama and the Democrats rising since at least 2000 MSNBC took a decided turn to the left. Now with the supposed rightwing conservative Republican resurgence all of a sudden they are coming up with excuses to silence the liberal opinion hosts. Is the idea to severely punish one liberal in hoping that the other liberals, Schultz and Maddow, will wilt under the pressure and become more centrist? Wouldn't surprise me at all if that was the case.

[laughingliberal]

18. K & R nt

[rasputin1952]

20. MSNBC, like so many other entities is a corporation...

I have never heard of any corporation ask it's owners, (the shareholders), if the wads of cash they toss around to political candidates/parties as if it were their own. A true standard would be to get responses from the shareholders how they want, if used at all, said cash spent. The corporate officers use funds for all kinds of things that are not essential tot he business. What if the majority of the shareholders don't want their cash tossed at teabaggers? It is an evil world we live in...KO gets into trouble for using his own cash for contributions that amounted to less than 10 minutes pay for a well heeled CEO...who will spend a million of shareholder cash in a second
if he/she just feels like it, and there is no accountability at all.

The whole thing is appalling...and for the record, why is it suddenly "impossible" to delete this part of the contract anyway?

[PufPuf23]

29. The absurbity of KO's suspension is extreme

I do not expect KO back because of his voice and liberal popularity -- I will miss him and think the action is criminal in spirit of a free society.

As a sign of the times, the action along with the midterm, economy, wars, Congress, and Obama's first two years is not positive for freedom and prosperity much less a liberal open Democracit Republic.

[femrap]

21. Thank you so much for

the email addresses....I sent little Phil a real kick in the pants. I'll call on Monday. What fun!

[Lindsey]

23. 212-664-4444 is the number. I called last night and the phones

were ringing off the wall. I was put through a VM to express my opinion. I feel strongly that we can get him back.

[femrap]

24. I have no doubt he'll be back...nt.

[MissDeeds]

22. K&R

MSNBC is going down over this.

[bluesmail]

25. + 1 gazillion for Bo Didley! Let there be respect! Ah. Back to Keith Olbermann

I'd bet K O has had a back up plan and that back up plan has been there for years. He's not stupid. Nor are his attorneys. He knows how to play chess. He's been playing chess with MSNBC, (oh what money can buy, like...elections) now he's playing with a new contender. COMCAST Oooo Evil Comcast! They both have their moves marked out. May the chips fall where they *should* fall. Harumph It'll be interesting how this eventually ends.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. K&R

[Trocadero]

27. .

[csziggy]

28. That will be great ammunition for Keith's attorneys to use

When he sues MSNBC for selective enforcement of their own rules.