I don’t understand the media. MSNBC just announced that Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews will not be anchoring anymore of the channel’s election coverage due to their political bias.
This floors me. I watched the Republican National Convention all week, and all week saw a party lie and say some of the most hypocritical things I have ever heard. And anytime somebody says something to point that out, they’re labeled as biased or “the liberal media” - or they simply work for a fake news program:
How did we get to a place where reporting on a political party’s inconsistencies, something that to me seems very newsworthy and also something that can be proven with evidence, made one biased? How have we gotten to a place where it’s not possible to examine those that are campaigning to run our country?
Isn’t that the job of our media? To investigate and to report? Have I missed something?
Apparently, the final straw was when Olbermann “took off his journalistic hat” (really?) and made a comment about the RNC 9/11 tribute video - which I wrote about last week. I recommend visiting my post and checking out the video he commented on and his comment. He responsibly separates himself from his co-workers and makes it clear that he is giving his opinion, not fact. More than that, I think the video he commented on deserved some critique - almost our entire country disapproves of our current President and with that someone should question the narratives that that party is creating.
In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Olbermann said that moment and the perception that he is not utterly neutral restarted months-old conversations about his role on political nights.I found it ironic and instructive that I could have easily said exactly what I did say, exactly when I did say it, if I had been wearing a different hat, and nobody would have taken any issue, he said. [NYTimes]
Matthews has not received as much criticism related to things he said during the convention but apparently made a mistake when he said that Obama’s speeches inspired him. I think it is fair to say that almost everyone, even the Republicans, have agreed that Obama is a pretty great speaker, so why is this out of line?
On that note, here is one clip from MSNBC and one from Fox News… both feature people GIVING THEIR OPINIONS about Obama’s speech.. How is one biased and one not?
I don’t know what else to say, except that I am worried about where we’re headed. I guess I should be lucky that the blogosphere exists, offering people the opportunity to seek out different opinions and information. Granted that sometimes the blogosphere means unfounded and ridiculous stories, but at least you have a choice and the option of reading something that isn’t censored.
And related to the 9/11 tribute video, please takepart to help victims of torture and to learn more about what fear mongering has allowed the US to justify.
Read on:
CATEGORIES: Culture, Ethics
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Olbermann and Matthews were so far in the tank for Obama it was like watching a gay festival in San Francisco. I think MSNBC saw the light when their ratings took a crap during the conventions because of these two idiots.
Steve JJ is right. NBCs ratings went down a flushed toilet the last two weeks…..that’s being last in the ratings war for this convention coverage two week span…..Olberman should have stuck to sports commentary…. the hate filled, partisan, non-factual venom that he has been spewing on the air has to stop. this piece of ______ has no class……this blowhard actually thinks someone cares what he thinks and says…..if NBCs bosses really thought about it they should dump him all together…….can him off of the Sunday nite football team too. I am a Viet Nam Vetand I have a real problem with this “yellow stripe down the back”, never gave a minute of his life for the USA having his hate filled opinions being broadcast over the airwaves.
Cris “I get tingling down my leg when Obama speaks” Matthews is not much better than Olberman……he need to go too. Send them both to some island in the Pacific that is inhabitated by only animals.
Olbermann and Matthews don’t deserve to anchor anything when they have a political agenda in hand. If they want to behave like fools they should either be political consultants or go back to work for the DNC. The media is so far out of control this year when it comes to political bias it isn’t funny. Most “sane” people are tired of it and are tuning these idiots out now. That means MSNBC and CNN won’t have as many viewership…thus lesser advertisers is the result. Just give people the facts and let them decide who to vote for. We don’t need media clowns telling us who to vote for. They simply insult most peoples intellegence.
I couldn’t agree more with Steve, William & James. I used to watch Big Mouth Mattews & Crazy Olbermann, but became so enraged with their constant nasty and demeaning comments about Hillary Clinton as well as their arrogant attitudes in assuming everyone agrees with them that I can’t stand either of them–and I know many others feel the same way. It’s bad enough that the corporations and their lobbyists control our government, but it’s adding insult to injury when media corporations and their goons get to choose our president for us!!!
I’m with you, Gina.
Olbermann’s Countdown is the most Tivo’ed show on cable.
Big time following. When are we going to start talking about how sickly and glazed look of mr 72 year old McCain Best political coverage is on CSPAN
I believe most if not all commentators covering BOTH conventions, are blatantly POLITICAL!! Why are Olberman and Matthews being singled out.? Fox is definetly a R supporter and maked no effort to conceal it. Every one of them are drunk on their alleged ability to sway public opinion, thereby influencing the out come of the election.
I believe they should all just report the news.
I think that there is no real loss as to overall coverage of the election as these were both far far left fringe pundits and did not represent the views of most americans for or against Obama. Sure news casters are biased, stop saying there not you sound goofy. However if your going to anchor a news broadcast or even do interviews you should not be so overly zealous in your bias. Olberman, more than Mathews, took it to far and they both insisted on insulting half their viewing audience because they were so arrogant as to believe most people agreed with them. Obviously they were wrong, more people thought they were to biased to be considered actuall news and not democrat propagana disseminators and stopped watching MSNBC for real coverage. Olberman and Mathews not only debased republican party officials but also insulted the average republican citizen. This is not smart if your trying to keep an audience. Many of us republicans would watch other newscasts that are not complimentary to the republicans because like democrats, we want to see how our representatives react under pressure and scrutiny. But if you want to spew the kind of hurtfull vindictivness that Olberman did don’t call yourself a newscaster , because your not. Americans know propaganda when we hear it whatever side you support.