Less than two weeks ago, MSNBC president Phil Griffin was still defending the network’s anchor team to Politico, despite reports of turmoil behind-the-scenes and on-air squabbles. At the time, a high-ranking MSNBC journalist told me the network was “about to blow up.”
Well, here’s the blow up! The NY Times reports tonight that Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann will no longer anchor during upcoming political news events, as network insiders reveal more about what’s been happening.
After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.
Funny, how they care so much about “unbiased” news when the slant isn’t in the pro-corporate direction. Apparently the sources interviewed for the story are quite approving of the slant shown by people like Mrs. Alan Greenspan!
UPDATE: And here’s BTD’s take on it, one with which I strongly agree. Because I look for journalists who will tell me the truth, no matter what - and I don’t include Keith Olbermann in that category.
Ah, rethugs. If you don’t kiss their asses and carry their water, you’re biased. It’s interesting to see the network ban honest journalism when it raises it’s ugly head. So much for NBC’s commitment to democracy.
Remember, Susie, this is NBC. They are owned by GE. Former GE CEO Jack Welch, the Republican contributor, pressured NBC’s Director of Elections to call the 2000 election for Bush:
http://medianation.blogspot.com/2006/10/jack-welchs-journalistic-values-ii.html
This is also the corporation, MSNBC, that made an decision to dump Phil Donohue for political reasons, before the start of the Iraq War, because (according to an internal memo cited by Bill Moyers), “Donohue presents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. At the same time our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity.”
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html
So what’s the surprise? MSNBC, like most talk radio station owners, will make decisions to stack the shows to highlight right-wing Conservatism, rather than chase the market, which is more liberal.
That’s why we need the Fairness Doctrine back in force.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0212-03.htm