MSNBC suspended Keith Olbermann indefinitely without pay on Friday after it came to light that the smuggest anchor on television had donated to political campaigns in violation of NBC News policy. That will end on Tuesday night, when Olbermann returns to the air. MSNBC president Phil Griffin released the following statement:
After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night. [THR]
Of course, Olbermann, being the bloviating douchebag that he is, sees himself as the victim in all of this and has gone so far as to demand an apology from MSNBC. Because he broke the rules, and rules should either be changed for him or not apply to him.
“Keith is furious about the way this has all been handled and insisted that MSNBC bosses apologize to him before he would agree to return,” a network insider tells me. “Keith sees himself as the star of MSNBC, the person who put them on the map and discovered fellow network anchors Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell. To be treated like this by the network he helped shape, he considers disgusting.”
“In addition to an apology, Keith is demanding that the rules be changed,” an executive tells me. “Keith thinks it’s unfair that FOX News anchors can make contributions and support candidates and he can’t. It’s his money that he has earned, he should be allowed to do whatever he wants with it.” [Popeater]
Ugh. I feel like I should take a shower after reading that. I’m gonna need to watch five minutes of Glenn Beck crying to bring my brain back to the political middle.
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I miss Craig Kilborn and Alec Sulkin doing bits together on the LLS. Sorry whenever I see this twatnozzle vomitcrotch Olbermann I remember how much I miss Craiggers.
In a related story, Fox News is totally fair and balanced. Like, totally. Irreprehensibly.
Posts like this one were made for douche cat appearances.
Well, this just makes me think of that SNL skit where Affleck-as-Olbermann went on a rampage because the apartment building wouldn’t let him have a cat.
holy christ, if it was anyone else other than Olbermann I’d wonder how a human being could possibly be so delusional, hypocritical and self-absorbed. he spends all of his time shitting on FOX and then has the nerve to invoke them as being some kind of standard that should apply to him as well. HOW BOUT HOLDING YOURSELF TO A HIGHER STANDARD, ASSHAT.
“It’s his money that he has earned, he should be allowed to do whatever he wants with it.”
Check under the sofa cushions, Commie, your sense of irony has got to be around here somewhere.
If you actually do look for MSNBC on a map, you will find that it doesn’t exist and that everyone is making fun of you.
Discovered Lawrence O’Donnell?
O’Donnell’s been in TV since 1999. He co-produced the West Wing, he was on the McLaughlin Group when Olbermann was trading quips with Dan Patrick.
In a related story, I discovered italics.
FOX NEWS DOES IT AND THEY ARE THE APEX OF JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY
MSNBC trying to be a little more like Fox News might not be a bad idea for the ratings.
Meh. Olbermann can be a smug douche at times, but he has a point here about being unfairly singled out.
Joe Scarborough not only donated money to Republicans but headlined re-election events for Bush-Cheney and other Republican candidates in the 2004 campaign while he was hosting a show on MSNBC, and the network didn’t even yawn.
well, if MSNBC itself has a double standard that’s one thing (and certainly it’s possible they’ve changed their policies since ’04, right?), but crying about what FOX News can and can’t do is the ultimate in hypocrisy when out of the other side of your mouth you’re constantly accusing them of being unethical (and don’t get me wrong, I AGREE they’re unethical, but I think Olbermann is too).
Fox News made a $1,000,000 corporate donation to the Republican Governors’ Association, which is absolutely unprecedented in the history of American politics or journalism.
Olbermann made three private donations of $2,300 to individual candidates, which is something people who work in the news business have been doing forever, all across the spectrum.
But you’re right, Olbermann is the one who should be scolded here.
Olberman used to be the sports guy on CBS in L.A. where he spent all his time in 2nd place or lower, constantly bagging on the station that was in 1st place at the time. When someone hired him away I was astonished. I’m pretty liberal and I don’t want anything to do with the guy.
says Rachel Maddow:
“He made three personal political donations to candidates in this last election cycle,” she said. “The reason that resulted in Keith’s suspension is that, here at MSNBC, there is an explicit employee rule against hosts making contributions like that. You can do it if you ask in advance and management tells you ‘O.K.’ That’s what I understand what happened with our morning show host’s political donations in 2006 under previous management. But if you do not ask in advance, you are bound by the rule.”
I agree with you Otto, FOX is absolutely more unethical, but I think bringing up FOX at all in this situation is just idiotic, and further points to the combination of an inferiority complex and an obsession that MSNBC has with its competitor. You break a clear company rule, own up to it, take your lumps and move on. Stop getting bogged down arguing about “false equivalencies” and hold yourself to a higher journalistic standard. I think the policy itself is a step in the right direction.
hey Otto, it really does not matter what fox did or what people at fox did. this was about an MSNBC policy that Olby broke. is it a dumb one, yes it is. but the jerk signed the contract and then broke part of the contract.
what Scarborough did was years ago and under different management. and Olbys kid brother Maddow said that he got permission from them to do it at the time.
the rule can be broke if you ask for permission and they grand it. He didnt so he got in truble.
The point here is that MSNBC has long standing rules about making donations. They have them, it’s their rule. Olbermann broke it and now he’s whining that because his archenemies at Fox don’t have that rule, he shouldn’t be punished for breaking committing what amounts to a firing offense for everybody else.
And his argument is “because I’m special”. It’s a dick move from everybody all around.
Especially Olbermann.
To be clear, I honestly don’t give two shits about this issue, one way or the other.
He broke an MSNBC policy, and they’re saying they were forced to suspend him because he didn’t say “Mother May I?” like Morning Joke? Would the company have crumbled if they didn’t?
Just seems like another shitty managerial effort from the powers that be at NBC, whom you might know from past stupidities as the Leno-Conan dust up. Liberals are going to be pissed because they suspended Olbermann and conservatives are going to be pissed because it was only for two days.
Olbys kid brother Maddow
Oh, because she’s a lesbian. Good one. I think you’re late for homeroom, though.
yada yada yada THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS THE F88KING FOX NEWS AND yada yada yada lather rinse repeat
This story gave Maddow a semi.
Huffington Post says that this was not justified because FOX NEWS and so on I have many things to say because FOX NEWS.
oh no it wasnt because she’s a lesbian… its be cause she dresses like his kid brother.
oh and you criticize me for my post, yet you make the Morning Joke reference… ok I’m heading in to home room… I’ll save you a seat.
Would the company have crumbled? No. Also, who cares? Without discipline there is no organization, and without enforcement how do you know your boss is your boss… or do you think Olbermann runs the show? He would appreciate that thought, but it’s not true.
POFLAWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
Wait!
Maddow’s a lesbian?