Keith Olbermann, MSNBC’s primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced Friday.
WTF!
MSNBC TV President Phil Griffin:
“I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”
Olbermann must have known the policy. He must have known that political donations are public information. What was he thinking? This is really going to hurt MSNBC’s ratings.
Note that Griffin didn’t fire Olbermann.
UPDATE: Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan have made campaign contributions. When will they be suspended?
-David Drumm (Nal)
lottakatz,
I agree with you and those were my first thoughts as I was reading the article.
Olbermann needs better representation during his next contract negotiations.
Bdaman
1, November 5, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I’ve said for over three months he was out the door. This has more to do with his ratings that political contributions. Olberman was not the first to do this but looks to be the first to have been terminated because of it. Rachel Maddow is next.
===================================================
You just said that to hurt my feelings knowing I’m a Maddow fan. I checked the ratings for Nov 3rd and in her time slot she beats everybody except FOX as Olbermann beats everybody but FOX in his. She beats Olbermann. The one who doesn’t do well at all is Matthews … Blitzer beats him at 5p and King beats him at 7p.
I’d like to see a case on this go to court. The employer can restrict your right to free speech in many regards but I have never thought ones right to donate to candidates for media people was OK. I’d be for disclosure “I have an interview with X and I did contribute to his (his party)…”.
I am bothered by the permission thing. If commentator x wants to donate to some dems and gets permission to do so but commentator y wants to donate to some republicans and permission is refused. I would think that would move it into another arena entirely, at least at the Federal level. Something akin to vote suppression (bad analogy I know) or a violation of the 14th Amendment.
mespo,
Rachel and/or Lawrence will have to pick him up in a later time-slot and he’ll get less sleep?
Let this be a lesson, do not write anything bad about Islam.
Md. man sentenced for threats to mosque
By Washington Post editors
A 25-year-old Maryland man has been sentenced to a year in prison after pleading guilty to threatening the members of a mosque in Illinois.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Ilya Sobolevskiy was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Urbana.
Authorities say Sobolevskiy pleaded guilty in August to violating the civil rights of members of the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center.
According to authorities, Sobolevskiy wrote in an e-mail to a member of the mosque that he would “do WHATEVER it takes to eradicate Islam.”
Judge David Bernthal called Sobolevskiy’s e-mail “an act of terror” and gave him the maximum possible sentence.
— Associated Press
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/maryland/md-man-sentenced-for-threats-t.html
What does this do to JT’s segment???
I’ve said for over three months he was out the door. This has more to do with his ratings that political contributions. Olberman was not the first to do this but looks to be the first to have been terminated because of it. Rachel Maddow is next.
I wonder if the failure to get permission took place around the time his father became so ill …
and what anon nurse said
If I am reading the actual story properly, it’s not that he donated, which is permitted to do, it’s that he did not disclose it. He has said recently things to the effect of, “I do not have a dog in the race” and that he does not vote for candidates and he is impartial… while interviewing some of these guys, the same day some of those comments made was the same day he donated apparently too. Sad, Olberman is entertaining… but perhaps this means they will move up Maddow who is much more enjoyable than him anyhow.
@ Anon Nurse – you’re likely spot-on.
Olbermann’s show was not a new show and Olbermann is not a journalist nor is Maddow, O’Donnell or Schultze. They are commentators and as such should not be held to the same critera as real journalists as far as donations or message contents go.
How I’ll exist without my Olbermann fix every night is a puzzle.
The Tea Party has attacked the legislative, executive, and now the judicial branches of our government. We’re due for a coup.
Keith! Say it ain’t so!
Daily Kos has a post showing that conservative Joe Scarborough also donated to a candidate. Wonder how MSNBC will say that is was different in that case? Of course, the difference is one is a conservative and one is a liberal.
Sounds like he said the wrong thing about his boss. His boss didn’t like it and is now making a point. Olbermann will get his job back, with a clear understanding of who calls the shots. Just guessing.
it’s gettin, mighty dark down here in the South….
David Shuster,now Keith seems like MSNBC dosen’t like its people fighting the system.
Unrelated,but still related:
Iowa Judges Ousted
Categories: State races, Elections
04:46 am
November 3, 2010
by Korva Coleman
Iowa voters decided to remove three State Supreme Court justices who’d overturned an Iowa ban on same sex marriage last year. Out are Iowa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit. The full seven member panel unanimously rejected the law but not all members faced a retention vote. The defeated judges issued a joint statement, thanking Iowans for their support and laying blame for their defeat
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/11/03/131032419/iowa-judges-ousted
From a huffington post article:
Griffin’s statement underscores that it was Olbermann’s failure to obtain approval, and not the actual political donations, that prompted the suspension.
The move is doubly significant in that it represents a major development in the relationship between Griffin and Olbermann, who once told the New Yorker, “Phil thinks he’s my boss.”
“Keith doesn’t run the show,” Griffin told New York Magazine recently. “I do a lot of things he doesn’t like. I do a lot of things he does.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/05/keith-olbermann-suspended_n_779586.html
I strongly dislike one of the persons to whom Olbermann donated; however, he should be able to donate to whomever he chooses and should not have to get his employer’s permission.
WOW!!,Do the Reubs have reach or what? And the channel up the dial gives away Millions of dollars in airtime away to the Republican party let alone the Financial contribution that was such a big deal.And the on air fund raising that candidates had done during this election cycle.And the fund rasising some of their guest had done,WOW!!
I wonder how much GE–MSNBC’s parent company–has contributed to political candidates???