(CNN) – Keith Olbermann, MSNBC’s primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced Friday.
“I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay,” MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement. First reported by Politico and confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings, the primetime television host gave $2,400 – the maximum individual amount allowed – to each of the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway, and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. (View PDF’s of FEC filings for Conway, Grijalva, and Giffords)
The contributions may have violated an NBC policy that requires employers of the news organization to obtain permission ahead of any political donations or activities that could be deemed as a conflict of interest. CNN institutes a similar policy.
Olbermann, as well as MSNBC executives, was a vocal critic of the $1 million donation by Fox News’ parent News Corp. to the Republican Governor’s Association earlier this year, saying at the time, “We now have another million reasons Fox News is the Republican news channel.” In a subsequent show, Olbermann also pressed House Majority Whip James Clyburn if there was a “legislative response” to a network that “starts to shill for partisan causes.”
Har! Will he now name himself “Worst Person in the World”?
MikeN, all news is partisan and that’s not a problem. They should be.
The problem with liberal news is that it’s not irreverent enough. The problem with conservative news is that it’s too reverent.
Ah Great. Just heard MSNBC is going to end his suspension Tuesday.
And here I thought these guys had a clue.
Still expect Juan Williams to be offered Olbermann’s job in 2012. Just in time for the elections!
#64, yes it is partisan and that’s not a problem. The policy is so they can PRETEND they are not partisan.
SHORTEST. SUSPENSION. EVER.
FTW~
Bwaaaaahahahahaha!
This is a crock! Olbermann, the private citizen can’t contribute to a political party, or cause, without censure, just because he’s on Tv. But Fox News Corp and Rupert Murdock can, with little or no repercussions about ethics and conflicts of interest. How is this obvious double standard even remotely considered fair? Just because a load of Republicans say so? Sounds like the Golden Rule, again. Those with all the gold, make the rules. But don’t have to follow them.
All I’ve ever heard out of the mouths of Republicans was complaints about the so-called “Liberal Press”. But WHAT LIBERAL PRESS?! The press, liberal or not, barely managed to get Nixon to resign from office, by exposing Watergate. And they had to be lead by the Wash Post, for weeks, before the rest of them would risk outing the President. Today, forget it. It will never happen again. Newspapers, Tv, and radio, are all mostly owned by a handful of Republican backing media conglomerates. The tiny few “Liberals” that managed to get on the Radio a few years back, are all gone now. The handful of stations they were on, dropped them. Their “network”, such as it was, went bankrupt. Ran out of money. Not that they ever had much, compared to the Republican back propaganda behemoths that spew out 99.9% of everything you hear, see, and read. And yet Republican still pretend to live in fear of the “Liberal Press”. That’s like Mt. Everest living in fear of an ant hill. What they fear is how a simple logical idea, expressed somehow that can spread to everyone, can totally undo the whole culture of lies they’ve carefully constructed. Like the Emperor’s New Clothes. They live in fear of the little boy, who cries “he’s naked”!