Olbermann story doesn't reinforce the lazy media assumptions about the two networks, it debunks them

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026508.php

SOME HELPFUL CONTEXT, DETAILS ON OLBERMANN FLAP.... Last night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow addressed the controversy surrounding Keith Olbermann's suspension, and shed some light on the subject.

For example, there was ample discussion yesterday, here and elsewhere, about MSNBC's Joe Scarborough making campaign contributions without punishment, but Rachel noted last night that the "Morning Joe" sought and received permission from network management to do so. Likewise, many have noted that CNBC's Larry Kudlow has been a generous Republican donor, but Rachel added that NBC News restrictions don't apply CNBC hosts.

But of particular interest was Rachel taking the time to explain in detail a point that we talked about briefly yesterday. It's "the larger point," she said, "that's going mysteriously missing from all the right-wing cackling and old media cluck-cluck-clucking about this."

Rachel explained, "Let this incident lay to rest forever the facile, never-true-anyway, bull-pucky, lazy conflation of Fox News and what the rest of us do for a living. I know everybody likes to say, 'Oh, that's cable news, it's all the same. Fox and MSNBC, mirror images of each other.'

"Let this lay that to rest forever. Hosts on Fox raise money on the air for Republican candidates. They endorse them explicitly; they use their Fox News profile to headline fund-raisers. Heck, there are multiple people being paid by Fox News now essentially to run as presidential candidates. If you count not just their hosts but their contributors, you are looking at a significant portion of the whole lineup of Republican presidential contenders for 2012. They can do that because there's no rule against that at Fox. They run as a political operation. We're not.

"Yes, Keith's a liberal, and so am I, and there are other people on this network whose political views are shared openly with you, our beloved viewers. But we are not a political operation. Fox is. We are a news operation. And the rules around here are part of how you know that."

That's an important point, because it's inevitable that some will use the Olbermann incident to reinforce the already-common media perception: MSNBC is the comparable bookend to Fox News. Except, of course, it's not, and the tired talking point has never made any sense anyway.

The Olbermann story doesn't reinforce the lazy media assumptions about the two networks, it debunks them.

—Steve Benen

[still_one]

1. Yes, but a company's policy does not make it law. The question is, is this a violation of KO civil

rights? If it is, then the company will be taken to court

A companies policy says if you don't use all your vacation in a single year, you lose it. "Use it or lose it". Even though that is part of the companies policy, it is a violation of the state law where I live

Guess what, the company has to allow me to either use all my vacation in a year, or carry it over into next year, it doesn't mater what their "company polciy" says, if it is a violation of state or federal law

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Yes exactly.

It serves as an object lesson, and Rachel brought it all home last night.

[Ineeda]

3. Time will tell.

If KO's suspension is brief, could it be that he deliberately broke the rules to make this very point? Could KO, who can well afford a few day's pay loss, have thrown himself on his sword to serve this purpose? The coverage and support he's gotten may be well worth it. He has millions of loyal viewers, as does Rachel, Ed, Laurence. Their shows are legitimately "fair and balanced", albeit with a decidedly liberal stance, but they also pounce on Dems if it's warranted. Keith's popularity will only increase with this, IMO. If it was strategic, it benefits MSNBC, Keith and other liberal or moderate hosts, and viewers. As said before, Keith is a smart man. I find it hard to believe his actions were inadvertent.

[GoCubsGo]

5. Yes, but I think it goes farther than that

I think he deliberately did this to rile people up, and sic them on the lame duck Congress so that they could implement a remedy to this campaign donation issue while they still could. The clock is ticking... January 8th will be here before we know it.

[BootinUp]

4. It only debunks them in the real world

politics in America today is in an alternate universe where nothing is ever debunked unless the richest Amercians want to debunk it.