Whatever the circumstances and fallout of Keith's departure, NBC News still faces this weird contradiction of how to run a middle-of-the road news network and a partisan cable channel. At this juncture it is hard to tell if losing Olbermann was personally or editorially driven. It would seem to be the former, as MSNBC prime time remains without ideological balance (at least among the hosts). This is why I resigned as a contributor last year. There is obviously a market niche for the type of partisan viewers MSNBC reaches, but considering that it is run by the same editorial bosses who command NBC how can the network have it both ways? At least set up MSNBC under separate management and give NBC personnel a chance to maintain their standards as objective journalists.
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Richard Geldard: Countdown, Network and Mad As Hell
Yes that's what we need, more parroting the notion that there is "middle of the road" news and then there is "partisan" news.
What about news that are factual vs. news that are based on falsehoods? Seems to me that dichotomy is much more helpfull to a democracy and I dare Mr. Crawford to name a single instance in which Keith or Rachel reported something factually innacurate that was not immediately corrected. THAT is the difference between what could be called "partisan news" and journalism. Most journalism includes opinion because the framing of the context in an issue can be construed as opinion whether the facts are accurate or not but what is NOT journalism is opinion based on pulling things out of your "mouth".
By far the most dangerous and corrosive element in news in my opinion is precisely the presence of "professional" commentators (those without their own shows) these travelling pundits who are not journalists per se but need to find something insightfull to say every day on 4 different broadcasts.
They sell their promiscuity of opinion as serious analisys, they are like little sheherezades making up opinions as they go along, watering down the truth as a byproduct.
That is precisely why we need the Olbermanns and Maddows, to peel back the layers of garbage presented by Fox and the Republicans so that we can make informed choices about our leadership and the direction of our country. These folks and MSNBC perform a crucial service to our country; just because they don't give equal time to the li es of the right does not mean otherwise. At present, they are the only ones standing between and you and a those who threa ten the core of our democracy; CNN, ABC, and CBS sure aren't going to do it.
Lawrence O. called out Nancy Pelosi, The other hosts regularly criticize dems,
So where is the Partisanship? I do not think that word means what you think it means.
You're not serious?
Snerd
It's really, really creepy.
This deal is SOOOOOOO WRONG!
The evenings at MSNBC were for open, liberal voices, the only ones in the vast wasteland that is cable television. Now even they are being silenced.
MSNBC has lost me as a reg viewer and as a home page.
(and I enjoy rachel and ed....too bad)
thanks TG! (fan'd!)