Keith Olbermann's New Role at MSNBC

[cal04]

(snip)
Olbermann's popularity and evolving image as an idealogue has led NBC News to stretch traditional notions of journalistic objectivity. The danger for MSNBC is provoking the same anger among Republicans that Democrats feel toward Fox News Channel.

(snip)
MSNBC's use of Olbermann as a host for major events predated his ''special comments,'' which began appearing late last summer at the end of ''Countdown,'' his irreverent prime-time newscast. The periodic commentaries often seethe with anger toward the Bush administration and against the war. Spread quickly over the Internet, they've made him a liberal icon and raised his show's ratings.

Olbermann knows to leave his opinions at home when he anchors events, said Phil Griffin, NBC News senior vice president.

''Keith's an adult,'' Griffin said. ''He can tell when it's appropriate to express himself in a commentary and when to be a journalist. That's one of his strengths. He knows exactly the tone and his role when he's doing anything.''


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http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-AP-on-TV-Olbermanns-Role.html

[90-percent]

1. main diff between keith and fox is......

Keith uses "facts" and "truth" in his reporting, instead of fantasy woven from whole cloth.

I'd say that's a pretty profound difference, but my notions of what makes good journalism in these times is somewhat "quaint".

-85% jimmy

[itsrobert]

2. MSNBC needs to jettison Chris Matthews

As Matthews always tries to take over lead anchor on these type of events. Matthews just brings down the broadcast with his comedy of errors.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Oooo...He might piss off Repukes??!!

After untold years of Frothing and Squawking Heads of The Right, I don't necessarily see this as a Bad Thing.

To put it more bluntly: Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

[Prophet 451]

4. He might piss off the neo-cons?

Who gives a damn? Seriously, the only people who would be pissed at Keith's comments are those who still support Bush and if they're still supporting Bush, they're rabid far-right extremists who think everything outside Faux is flamingly liberal anyway.

Faux pretends to be unbiased and puts out shameless lies, propoganda and spin (and Bill O'Lielly can kiss my ass too). Olberman doesn't pretend to be unbiased but he's speaking truth and, y'know, facts. The right has had a near-monopoly on televised pundits for years with Coulter, O'Lielly, Hannity, etc and ONE liberal comes along (Mike Moore and Al Franken are satirists, not pundits) to speak the views of the rest of the population and teh right get pissed? Fuck 'em. Really. If you can put Coulter on tv virtually non-stop for months at a time, you can shut the fuck up and let us enjoy Keith Olberman for a while.

I think it was originally said about Greg Palast but one thing in Olberman's favour, he pissed off all the right people.