Tom Brokaw: Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann Have "Gone Too Far"

Tom Brokaw said Sunday at a panel in Denver that MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann have "gone too far" in their campaign reporting.

At the discussion, sponsored by the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics, and Public Policy, Brokaw chided his colleagues:

"I think Keith has gone too far. I think Chris has gone too far," the veteran NBC newsman said at a forum sponsored by Harvard's Shorenstein press center. But Brokaw said that they are "commentators" and "not the only voices" on MSNBC and that viewers could sort it out.

In June, Brokaw slammed the press drumbeat for Hillary Clinton's exit from the Democratic primary, calling it "inappropriate" and "commentary disguised as reporting." Also in June, Brokaw scolded Olbermann on air for suggesting that Clinton was attempting to "shoehorn" her way into the press coverage, saying, "I think that's unfair, Keith."

Comments

[marymansour]

It has become obvious that Brokaw is in Hillary's pant suit pocket. No more respect for you, Tommy. .

[taceva]

the truth is the Democratic party is bigger than Clinton,Ob­ama,kenned­y and any individual in the party so when the truth is told about The Clintons I don't think these commentators should apologize for telling the truth. and just remember folks pain of change or pain of regret you choose .

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

Depends on which side of the fence from which one is observing. Truth to some are complete and total lies to another.

[BJBirdie]

Shame on Brokaw? Doesn't he realize the Keith told the TRUTH because he always tells the TRUTH because everything Keith says is the TRUTH even when the TRUTH is the opposite of what Keith says?

[andhakari]

At least he's not incoherrent.

[connorin]

ko is howard beale

[Mike169]

Why don't you switch to CSPAN for direct coverage without the talk?

[bdl0715]

I did just that last night. I was planning on watching MSNBC, but while pundits were talking, I switched over to C-SPAN and found speakers speaking at the convention. I want to watch the convention, not pundits telling us what the speakers are saying.

[txgal44]

Get over it. Keith is usually right. And he IS honest.

[connorin]

as honest as a nonosecond is long

[BCubedReg]

I like Kieth because he is the only commentator on televison who speaks truth to power and has taken the current admisinstration to task. His special comments have been poignant and accurate concerning the way the present admisistration has destroyed this country. So yes, he probably is somewhat biased in favor of Obama because like most sane people.. we need to change course from our present direction

[flatus]

BJBirdie,
Thanks for the chuckle. It always amuses me to see Fox Newz buffs commenting on the nature of truth.

[ruffmama]

Last night at the DNC Brokaw sounded like he had drank about 10 martinis.

I was waiting for him to start hiccuping at any moment.

[pattio66]

thank you, I thought I was the only one who noticed!!!

[BigLib]

That was Theresa Heinz Kerry.

[AshevilleVoice]

Keith and Chris were saying on air what the majority of informed Dems who could do the math were saying. It was simple logical deduction that Hill had no reasonable chance of winning after NC (and very little after Super Tues). Her chances lie with creating a narrative that O was unelectable. It was a dark and destructive path to pursue and the pundits who treated her like a Mrs Fields who just couldn't catch a break were guilty of reporting ridiculous spin and preposterous lies as if they were unbiased facts.

[pudn52]

Brokaw reports. That's a different method. He asks, he listens, he reports - it's almost robotic. He may not agree or disagree but you would never really know where he stands because he's not there to give his opinion or demand truth - he's there to report. He hears the answer and goes on. "He's not really there".

Olbermann and Matthews engage. Olbermann is a little dicer and in your face but don't ever believe that Matthews doesn't know what he's talking about, you would be making a huge mistake - his delivery is different. I prefer someone who plants their feet and will call you out. It's time to stop coddling the people who are hired and paid BIG to take care of this country. It's time to stop treating them as movie stars and taking them to task.

[Pronto]

It's good that Brokaw is finally starting to "get it". At long last, he recognizes the blatant bias of his network. Now he needs to work on the more subtle elements of bias that go out over NBC's (and CBS' and ABC's etc.,) airwaves. For example, the mainstreamers always make reference to the "Republican attack machine." Is there no "Democrat attack machine"? If so, I never hear it referenced. Another example . . . Andrea Mitchell, on a piece about VP nominee Joe Biden, said that Biden's 1988 Presidential run was derailed when he was "accused" of plagiarism. He wasn't "accused" of plagiarism, he was guilty of it. So, Mr. Brokaw, keep looking for bias on your network - it's much deeper than you think.

[America08]

Democrats don't need an attack machine...­..they have the "truth" on their side.

[Pronto]

James Carville, Paul Begala, Anne Lewis, John Kerry, Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chuck Shumer aren't all part of a Democrat attack machine? They aren't attacking but rather speaking "truth"? Think, again.

[Swerinjer]

I love Olbermann but Dan is right. Hillary was treated unfairly. That drumbeat for her to leave was astoundingly disrespectful and inappropriate. I seethed at the injustice of how Dean was treated by the media. Now Hillary too. Man we need a fairness doctrine or something to stop this crap.

[DrFelch]

YEs, we need a fairness doctrine, but hillary gave as good as she got. She said some astoundingly evil things during the primary. I started out respecting her, even admiring her, just was not gonna vote for her. I actively despise her now and cannot wait for her to go away and never come back. Her career in national politics is OVER. Once she had no mathematical chance of winning, (texas) she should have been given the exact same treatment Huckabee was given as the last challenger standing against McTurd. Huck was told to his face, at every appearance that he was finished, and could no longer get the necessary delegates. Why was hillary not given this assessment? Easy! The media and the right wingers who control it wanted to drag this thing out and hope to drive a wedge in the DEM electorate. I say again, and this is fact. SHE WAS TOAST NO LATER THAN TEXAS PRIMARY!!! After she failed to make any big gains in delegates after she supposedly "won" that putrid state, she should have withdrawn or been marginalized.

[NappyRoots100]

Greetings!

I still hold that they were simply asking if she can't win, why is she still in the race? It is not like she just passively went through all the primaries. She was on the attack until the very end, attacks that Republicans are still using right now. So I think it was a legitimate question to ask. What was her end game? 2012?

Conversely, I think that the division we see now is directly due to the support for Clinton that she allowed to harden by prolonging the inevitable -after she lost 11 straight contests. Add to that her and her supporters insistance that somehow this was stolen from her by the sexist media and the Obama machine in the DNC rules committee and it is no wonder hostilities are still visible.

[Bulbul]

A few voices of resoning , Brokaw and the one and only Jon Stewart.

[pfc1369]

Brokaw is a stooge and a hack with a deep voice, and always has been.

[ShadowfaxinUT]

That's an interesting thing for Brokaw to say, especially in light of Chuck Todd's comments last evening that in fact, the Hillary supporters were led to believe she had a 50-50 chance after February, when in reality her chances were more like 1 in 10. Todd said they were sold a "bill of goods." It's no wonder they feel bitter. The primaries were to all intents and purposes over when the HRC campaign started the kitchen sink strategy. They thus wound up hurting themselves, and the Party's chances of reclaiming the White House. Keith and Chris were right on.

[AnnieinOR]

so old wise one, keith and chris have gone too far, but joe and pat are just fine? HYPOCRITE.

[zona9]

Joe and Pat are commenatators who aren't hosting MSNBC's straight political coverage. THAT'S the problem. If Olbermann and Matthews were simply on to give their opinion like Hannity is on FOX, that wouldn't be a problem. The problem is that you have two hardcore idealogues doing the supposedly straight campaign coverage. O'Reilly isn't doing that at Fox, for god's sake. But, Olbermann is doing it at MSNBC. So, you get hilariously awful moments like last night when Joe Scarborough and Keith got into a very nasty exchange on air. Joe wasn't reading from the Obama is God script and Keith could be heard muttering in the background 'Jesus Joe, get a shovel'. On air! MSNBC has lost all credibility. Even Brokaw is bashing them openly. Meanwhile, Russert is rolling in his grave.

[SULL930]

i'll say it again...Ho­w can you take a god forsaken loser like Olbermann seriously? Here's a guy who has blown any number of chances on tv for years because of his smug, condecsending attitude towards people, and you people take everything he says like it's straight for the mouth of God! I'll ask again. What are this man's credentials? He passes himself off as a newsman. What stories has he covered? Has he EVER gone out and actually done ANY kind of reporting? We all know the answer..NO­NE! without his teleprompter, media matters & daily kos, he's lost!

[flymic]

thats a negative. Keith speaks the Truth and Facts. The Vast majority of Americans if given the FACTS and not Spin going on F0x noise, would agree with Keith.

Period.

[flymic]

There is an ENTIRE Network that Propagates itself as a "News Channel" but in fact is nothing more than a Mouth Piece of the Republican Party.

So any argument for Journalistic Integrity which doesn't dove tail to F0x News blatant Bias coverage stands on VERY shakey ground.

[mamacat]

My 2 cents worth:

Chris did fine. He tried to be impartial, and succeeded most of the time. He had a number of very insightful comments, unlike the boys and girls on most of the channels, who just repeated what they were told to say. Chris was very good.

Keith got emotional. He liked what he saw, and had a hard time trying to be objective. Once he calms down, he will be OK.

I loved Rachel. She brings a fresh view to things, and a very needed one, in my opinion. She is a breath of fresh air on a hot, smoggy day. I am really looking forward to seeing how she blossoms in this business. Gracias to the big shots who had the smarts to hire her.

I like Pat Buchanan as well. Some of his comments were really off the wall, but one has to expect that of him. At least he doesn't just repeat inanities over and over for hours at a time. I may disagree with most of what he says, but I find I can at least respect the man.

I am not overly impressed with Tom Brokaw. He brings to the show gravitas without insight. Not a particularly valuable package.

Overall, I thought the folks on MSNBC were far, far better than any of the other channels. Kudos.

[JeannieE]

I agree MSNBC's coverage was vastly superior to the other networks. They seem to put on a much more intelligent and informed program.

I like Pat B. as well even though I loathe his politcal views, he seems brutally honest and at times makes me laugh

I really have a hard time stomaching Tom Browkaw, in my opinion he has ruined MTP and seems to be a grumpy old has been. He is so confrontational with liberals it seems as if he is trying to undue his network's "bias" singlehandedly.

Racheal is so smart, I fear too smart for the TV machine but I will religiously watch her show.

I like Keith in large part because of his emotion. We should all be angry about what has happened to this country.

Lastly, should we really be upset at a liberal bias in the media (FINALLY), god knows a shift to the left would be a blessed relief from the right wing crap machine.

[DallasMike]

What do you mean FINALY the press has been left leaning for years.

[BCubedReg]

My sentiments exactly.

[brijit]

How about Mike Barnicle questioning how Michelle Obama got into Princeton because HIS kid couldn't get into Princeton? Isn't that going "too far?"

[uheardme]

I dislike Mike Barnicle. He is typical of a lot of angry, bitter, and old white Democrats.

[Darthwave]

I thought the same day when I heard that comment. Somebody manages to pull themselves out of dangerous crime infested neighborhood in Chicago and make it all the way to Princeton. Now some bitter jerk who probably grew up in a safe suburbia gets to question or even resent Michelle for working hard to pull herself out the Ghetto. MSNBC needs Keith, Chris, and Rachel to balance hacks like Buchanan, Joe, and Barnacle.

[Aleka4]

Am I the only one who sees this for what it is?

It is a variation of the HiIIary accusations of 0bama-fawning press that happened in the primaries. It was simply a ploy to manipulate the MSM into being negative instead of positive.

The REALITY is 0bama gets almost nothing BUT negative MSM converage - they are totally engrossed in trying to rip him apart. Meanwhile, Mc0ld gets a free pass, and like CIinton before him, the second he gets a negative whiff, he points the finger at the press and accuses them of being worshipful of 0bama.

And the MSM, the fools...th­ey fell for it again.

[ReelBusy]

You're wrong on one point.
The MSM didn't fall for it.
They designed it.

[Swerinjer]

grow up you two.

[Jessegirl]

You just summed this up so perfectly.
I've noticed this myself and I have resorted to long, vigorous jogs to blow off steam
over most of this coverage..­.breathe in, breathe out (repeat)

[flymic]

bingo.

[tinalina61]

I couldn't agree any MORE with your post, because MOST of the news coverage O receives is negative and Annenberg study found, while McCain continues to be unchallenged on MANY of the things HE say, and IF you've notices, McCain is NOW using the "I'm a POW, so you KNOW you cannot challenge me about anything" drivel which is disgusting IMHO. I'm HAPPY to see a media source carry some water for the more Liberal candidate--FAUX news is all right-winged ALL the time....FA­IR AND BALANCED MY FANNY (lol)....

I am guessing Brokaw is too old and OUT OF IT to realize just how biased FAUX news is, yet he's criticizing MSNBC? He's become one of those 'grumpy old men' I see on their lawns who leave their robe open when they go out to get the news paper (lol)....

[PuppaX]

Was he unable to find any commentators on the right who had "gone too far"?

[XME]

Very good point!

[ReelBusy]

I think that's a given.