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Olber-canned: MSNBC puts Keith Olbermann on indefinite suspension
MSNBC fixture Keith Olbermann, host of "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," has been put on indefinite suspension, without pay. In a release first obtained by The Huffington Post, MSNBC president Phil Griffin says the decision came after learning Olbermann donated to three democratic candidates in the 2010 election.
"I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night," says Griffin. "Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."
Are you cruising to end up on Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" list, Griffin?
The host, for his part, defends the donations in a statement of his own: "I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level."
Griffin and Olbermann have a history of not getting along, frequently exchanging jabs about who's really in charge of the series via plenty of interviews.
This round goes to Griffin.
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Photo credit: MSNBC
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Really? Donated to three Democrats? That's all?
Keith Olbermann is an anal wart, it is true, but if MSNBC is going to suspend him for such a pathetic reason, I might actually start rooting for the guy. You think FOX News is going to suspend Karl Rove for propping up the Republican party? I think not.
Oh, come on. No one could possibly be surprised that Olbermann leans to the left, can they?
well its an obvious conflict of interest but who ever thought he was objective in the first place? Im sure you could find a fox news anchor that did the same. So it makes sense if they are striving for journalsitic balance but who are we kidding this is MSNBC for crying out loud.
Keith makes no secret that he prefers Democratic policies over Republican ones. who cares if he donated? no big surprise there, no big deal. i love his show, i hope to see him soon again. and whoever suspended him should get canned.
While I have a little more respect for Olbermann than Buddha Pest, I agree with the rest of his comments. I'm more concerned with the fact that the publicly biased cable news pundits are causing paranoia and fear on both ends of the political spectrum with hyperbole, misinformation, and overreactions than I am that one of them privately donated (relatively little) money to a few democratic campaigns. And even as a liberal, I'd feel the same way if it was someone from Fox News. I understand that he went against company policy, but I hope he doesn't officially get fired over this.
Doesn't he have the right as a private citizen to donate to the canditates he supports? It doesn't seem that he used his position on the show to advertise his contributions or encourage anyone to make contributions. Much ado about nothing!
"a world without Olbermouth would be a much nicer place"
NOT FOR ME. :(
It seems to me, everything that comes out of his mouth is a contribution to the Democratic party. If they condone that type of "reporting", then I don't understand why they would have a problem with his private donations.
Having said that, a world without Olbermouth would be a much nicer place.
Apparently NBC News policy does not prohibit employees from donating to political candidates, but it requires them to obtain prior approval from NBC News executives before doing so. He's been suspended because he didn't ask first.
Reading more at HuffPo, this really sounds like Griffin's on a power trip. Someone needs to simma down.
@Buddha Pest Karl Rove is NOT a host so FN has no reason to suspend him.
I don't think MSNBC should have suspended him for this...I don't like him (I've wanted him to get fired for YEARS), but this was just stupid.