It appears the network braintrust at NBC has finally realized what conservative bloggers and politcos have known for the longest — Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are not objective journalists. From the NY Times:
MSNBC tried a bold experiment this year by putting two politically
incendiary hosts, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, in the anchor chair to lead the cable news channel’s coverage of the election.
That experiment appears to be over.
After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.
The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.
The move comes after network execs spent months defending the roles of MSNBC’s prime-time hosts. Of course, the suggestion by the NYT that MSNBC’s leftist slant is only “perceived” is rather laughable. The network’s coverage of the conventions was noticeably — if not intentionally — partisan. Nevertheless, it’s about time the decision was made. Not only has the network slogged along with pathetic ratings, according to the Times’ article, “The change casts new doubt on what some staff members believe is an effective programming strategy: prime-time talk of a liberal sort.”
But hasn’t Air America already proved that “prime time” + “liberal” is a losing formula?
The decision has left The Daily Kos blathering that perhaps “only sycophantic pro-GOP voices should be allowed on the air.” (But, if their expletive-laced comments are any evidence, maybe liberals should avoid prime time.) Conservatives have been chronicling liberal media bias for a while. So it’s funny how, when the tables are turned, the whining begins.
Anyway, NBC should do the right thing and move Olbermann’s Countdown and Matthew’s Hardball to where they belong — alongside Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and Colbert Nation. It’s parody, not politics. And as for Michael Moore believing hurricane Gustav’s interruption of the RNC was “proof of God,” with MSNBC finally making the right move, I’m thinking that God might not be finished…
It’s really sad that there’s almost no objective journalism anymore. At the very least, the news organizations should be honest about their biases so the viewers know the spins the stories will receive. The networks and CNN lean left and Fox leans right. We all know it. Can’t they just admit it?
It’s a shame that Olbermann seems to burn bridges wherever he goes. I thought he was great on Sportscenter, where he belonged.
Funniest thing about media bias— this weekend I saw a bit of a Saturday Night Live piece, a re-run. The skit was a supposed debate between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. The spoof of how the media favored Obama was hysterical. And with both political figures being liberal, no one could write off the piece as right-wing hysterics.
Just a tip: PBS has about the most unbiased election coverage going. Yep, PBS. They at least try, is my feel, to be real journalists.
Becky
I used to like Olbermann on Sportscenter, Mark. But seeing his true colors now, I’d probably have a hard time listening to him again… even if it’s just to tell me what team won. And Becky, I did see that SNL piece. It’s been so referenced since then, that some producers bemoaned making it… especially because it undercuts their own cause.