MSNBC fires.........................

[lindac07]

Jonathan Alter and his Blog Altercation. He writes about it in a column on MSNBC today. His last association with MSNBC is Friday. He is going to be working for Media Matters. Another reasonable voice gone from the wilderness. Wonder if KO will have him on tonite. I can't believe this stuff!!!!!

[MadMaddie]

1. They are getting rid of any dissenting voices one at a time...

[Cooley Hurd]

2. It's Eric Alterman...

Jonathan Alter works for Newsweek.:thumbsup:

[babylonsister]

4. Just read this thread, written for Newsweek, posted by MSNBC.

:shrug:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x234495

[BurtWorm]

7. Eric Alterman writes Altercation

Jonathan Alter is a columnist for Newsweek.

It must be Eric who was fired by MSNBC, since he works for them and is a better fit with Media Matters.

[babylonsister]

11. You're right; article posted below. nt

[Democrat 4 Ever]

3. What was the reason for the firing? Too much sanity on camera? Called BS

from Chucklenuts BS? Used complete sentences, logic and reasoning in his arguments? Made Tweety, Dead Intern, Gravel Girty and Bow Tie Boy look like the brain dead "morans" they are?

[NYCGirl]

5. When was Eric Alterman on TV? NT

[tridim]

6. Good point.. I've only seen him on CSPAN, and very rarely.

He needs to be on much more often IMO.

[Hugin]

8. Hmm... Well, there goes my last association with MSNBC.

I'll have to change the link on my Journal Page.

[babylonsister]

9. IT's Eric Alterman; here's an article from EandP:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003119822

Mainstream Blog Pioneer Alterman Axed by MSNBC

Published: September 11, 2006 10:20 AM ET

NEW YORK Eric Alterman, perhaps the first writer to get a blog on a mainstream national news site, has been dismissed after 10 years by MSNBC.com.

"P.S., I’m Fired," he heads an email to others in the media.

His blog, Altercation, however, will be picked up by the liberal site Media Matters. He will also become a senior fellow there. Alterman has also been a longtime columnist at The Nation magazine. He teaches at City University of New York.

"I was hired before the 1996 launch by both the website and the cable station, and while the latter association ended in 1998, I have been here at MSNBC.com for ten straight years, writing a column until 2002 and Altercation every day, ever since," he writes. "Permit me to point out that with the help of my contributors and co-Altercators, I’ve probably contributed more words to this site than any other person, including full-time staff. Well, ten years is a good run at anything."

Alterman noted that when he started, others, such as Mickey Kaus and Andrew Sullivan, already had popular blogs but they had not yet been adopted by larger news organizations.

"As for MSNBC.com, I want to say that my experience working with my editors, past and present, has been an unbroken and unblemished blessing," he concludes. "It may sound amazing in the context of the online world but until I learned of my dismissal a few weeks ago, I had no idea whatever how many hits this site received. Nobody ever asked me to deal with a topic on Altercation, much less to stay away from one. And of course, all mistakes were my own.

"Whether my termination is, in fact, a product of a political decision at GE/NBC, which according to reports I read and gossip I hear, has lately taken a much firmer hand in guiding the content of both MSNBC and MSNBC.com, I have no way of knowing.... It would surprise no one if this site caused some discomfort at 30 Rock, if and when they happen to notice it. But speculation is not the same thing as evidence, and the good folks MSNBC.com and GE/NBC can, I’m sure, give you good reasons why dumping Altercation is the right thing to do from a business standpoint-- though the natural speculation that arises is a damn good argument against the kind of media concentration that allows a company like GE to own NBC in the first place.

"And few decisions in life have only one inspiration, alas. All I can say for sure is that I remain profoundly grateful for the opportunity they gave me and depart with nothing but feelings of warmth and gratitude for my colleagues who made it possible."

[wicket]

10. He's better off at Media Matters

Best of luck to him.

[autorank]

12. Of course, they had to. This is a big media trend, "the purge"

Alter - gone

New Time Magazine editor - from right wing de Vos foundation!

ABC - showing right wing screw ball movie on sacred subject

There is something going on in the media. They're bringing in the uber right. It's disturbing
since they're not hiding the fact that they have no objectivity, no independence. They have not for quite some time but they tried to keep up appearances.

Now they don't care. Anybody have any insight on this observation and these events?


p.s. Maybe a good campaign would be to ask Gates what the heck he's doing allowing MSNBC to hire these idiots and reflect on his name, e.g. Glen Beck.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. It's as if they're terrified all of a sudden by the drift the the left

The moment there began to be polls showing a majority of Americans were opposing the war, not happy with the republicans in office and actually beginning to question whats been going on for the past five years. Boom! They increased the right leaning press time and have all but stifled the left voices.

[katinmn]

21. Support the growth of Indy media. It's our only hope.

I know you are!

[BurtWorm]

13. Can you edit your original post to reflect that it's Eric Alterman

not Jonathan Alter?

[Coexist]

14. yes, please.

[bobthedrummer]

16. Just like the Nazis, whose "press" wore little swastikas at first

the BFEE's fascists are purging the "free press"-it's perceception management not reality that matters to them.

[SoCalDem]

17. Got to "clean house" before the election

:puke:

[halobeam]

18. exactly... it's a republican shit-storm we are in now.

[bbgrunt]

19. Alterman never impressed me as being particularly

progressive. Thoughtful and articulate, yes, but not an all out progressive. And I've never seen him commenting on MSNBC.

This is all very confusing because it seems as if Olbermann has recently been unleashed and comments here today point to Matthews ragging on the Bush Iraq adventure pretty strongly. So I think something is happening behind the scenes but I don't know what it is--Mr. Jones.

If they are purging for progressive content, then Keith, Chris and Dan are next on the chopping block.....

[Jack Rabbit]

20. 'Librul media'

ABC (Disney) runs neoconservative revisionist history and MSNBC (General Electric) fires Eric Alterman, both just weeks before an election in which the Democrats are expected to make significant gains.

Now tell me about this "librul media" again.