Skeptic Friends Network

Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?
Home | Forums | Active Topics | Active Polls | Register | FAQ | Contact Us  
  Connect: Chat | SFN Messenger | Buddy List | Members
Personalize: Profile | My Page | Forum Bookmarks  
 All Forums
 Our Skeptic Forums
 Politics
 Keith Olbermann’s suspension
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly Bookmark this Topic BookMark Topic
Next Page
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic
Page: of 2

the_ignored
SFN Addict

2562 Posts

Posted - 11/05/2010 :  14:45:06  Show Profile Send the_ignored a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You can read about it here.

As one might imagine, Vox has something to say about it:

Olbermann is an ass, and a much less intelligent ass than he thinks he is, but this attempt by MSNBC to pretend it is anything but a propaganda arm of the Democratic Party isn't likely to fool anyone.


Odd, I keep hearing about FOX news being the propaganda arm of the Republican party

Ex:) Josh at 11/5/10 2:30 PM:
Fox is the same for the GOP.

And msnbc has ratigan, who's awesome. And pat buchanan.


And an ironic bit of projection from Vox? ...much less intelligent ass than he thinks he is...

>From: enuffenuff@fastmail.fm
(excerpt follows):
> I'm looking to teach these two bastards a lesson they'll never forget.
> Personal visit by mates of mine. No violence, just a wee little chat.
>
> **** has also committed more crimes than you can count with his
> incitement of hatred against a religion. That law came in about 2007
> much to ****'s ignorance. That is fact and his writing will become well
> know as well as him becoming a publicly known icon of hatred.
>
> Good luck with that fuckwit. And Reynold, fucking run, and don't stop.
> Disappear would be best as it was you who dared to attack me on my
> illness knowing nothing of the cause. You disgust me and you are top of
> the list boy. Again, no violence. Just regular reminders of who's there
> and visits to see you are behaving. Nothing scary in reality. But I'd
> still disappear if I was you.

What brought that on? this. Original posting here.

Another example of this guy's lunacy here.

Edited by - the_ignored on 11/05/2010 14:50:13

The Rat
SFN Regular

Canada
1370 Posts

Posted - 11/05/2010 :  15:25:55   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit The Rat's Homepage Send The Rat a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by the_ignored


And an ironic bit of projection from Vox? ...much less intelligent ass than he thinks he is...


And this week's winner of the 'Highly Polished Mirror' award is...

Bailey's second law; There is no relationship between the three virtues of intelligence, education, and wisdom.

You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? - The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Blackadder II

Baculum's page: http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=3947338590
Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 11/05/2010 :  16:39:57   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
If this were like the Juan Williams thing, with Olbermann having a long string of conflicts with MSNBC, I'd say fire him. This seems like a first offense, though.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page

Kil
Evil Skeptic

USA
13477 Posts

Posted - 11/05/2010 :  19:25:11   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Kil's Homepage  Send Kil an AOL message  Send Kil a Yahoo! Message Send Kil a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Wow! I'm floored. Why would he do such a thing?

But it does show a significant difference between Fox and MSNBC. At Fox, guys like Glen Beck are actually allowed to host rallies that promote a particular politic. And Fox covers those rallies too. Talk about a conflict of interest!!! Olbermann is a piker when compared with what goes on at Fox. But oh well... The people who watch Fox will never get that Fox isn't about ethics in journalism at all. They won't get that Olbermann was sacked because of an ethical standard that Fox doesn't have...


Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.

Why not question something for a change?

Genetic Literacy Project
Go to Top of Page

the_ignored
SFN Addict

2562 Posts

Posted - 11/05/2010 :  20:32:38   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send the_ignored a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Kil, I'm using an altered form of what you said:

Hmmm. One difference between Fox and MSNBC. At Fox, guys like Glen Beck are actually allowed to host rallies that promote a particular politic. And Fox covered those rallies apparently.

Olbermann was sacked because of an ethical standard that Fox doesn't seem to follow. Or, maybe instead of contributing money, Olbermann should have held a rally himself?

>From: enuffenuff@fastmail.fm
(excerpt follows):
> I'm looking to teach these two bastards a lesson they'll never forget.
> Personal visit by mates of mine. No violence, just a wee little chat.
>
> **** has also committed more crimes than you can count with his
> incitement of hatred against a religion. That law came in about 2007
> much to ****'s ignorance. That is fact and his writing will become well
> know as well as him becoming a publicly known icon of hatred.
>
> Good luck with that fuckwit. And Reynold, fucking run, and don't stop.
> Disappear would be best as it was you who dared to attack me on my
> illness knowing nothing of the cause. You disgust me and you are top of
> the list boy. Again, no violence. Just regular reminders of who's there
> and visits to see you are behaving. Nothing scary in reality. But I'd
> still disappear if I was you.

What brought that on? this. Original posting here.

Another example of this guy's lunacy here.
Go to Top of Page

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  04:09:14   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
If this article is correct, Comcast has taken over NBC, the parent company of MSNBC and seems to be starting to follow the slime trail of FOX.
Update: Negative reaction is swift in coming. Blog reveals that long-time Bush donor became chief of MSNBC in September.

News network MSNBC has suspended host Keith Olbermann indefinitely after a news report stated he donated to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates.

Mediaite quotes MSNBC President Phil Griffin as saying, "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."

Think Progress points out, however, that it does not appear this NBC policy has ever previously been applied to MSNBC hosts and notes that "it's important to realize that MSNBC has undergone a fundamental change in leadership in the last two months."

"Late last year, Comcast — the nation’s largest cable provider and second largest Internet service provider — inked a deal taking over NBC Universal, the parent company of MSNBC," the progressive blog explains. "Comcast moved swiftly to reshuffle MSNBC’s top staff. On September 26th of this year, Comcast announced perhaps the most dramatic shift, replacing longtime MSNBC chief Jeff Zucker with Comcast executive Steve Burke. Burke has given generous amounts to both parties — providing cash to outgoing Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) as well as to Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and other top Republicans. But as Public Citizen has noted, Burke has deep ties to the Republican Party. Public Citizen’s report reveals that Burke served as a key fundraiser to President George Bush, and even served on Bush’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology."

Reaction to the suspension has been swift. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) described it as "outrageous that General Electric/MSNBC would suspend Keith Olbermann for exercising his constitutional rights to contribute to a candidate of his choice. ... This is a real threat to political discourse in America and will have a chilling impact on every commentator for MSNBC."

Nice eh, that the corporate media is being taken over by the suit & tie equivalent of the teabaggers. The wingnuts have been wanting to get rid of Olbermann for a long time.

History tells us that one of the first things a cheap dictator does after his coup and some obligatory rounds of firing squads, is to shut down or modify his country's news organizations. Is that slowly beginning here on a grander scale? Ugly question....




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

Go to Top of Page

HalfMooner
Dingaling

Philippines
15831 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  06:04:31   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send HalfMooner a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Were I MSNBC, I'd be a lot more concerned about politicians giving money to my journalists (which, without evidence, I suspect happens at Fox) than the journalists giving money to politicians.

But MSNBC has its ethical rules, and Olbermann probably knew what they were. I'll miss Keith's opinionated bombast, because I largely agreed with him, and loved to hear someone -- someone -- speaking truth to power.

Olbermann stupidly shot himself in the foot, and in so doing did no favors for his loyal audience

Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive.
Go to Top of Page

Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend

Sweden
9688 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  16:30:04   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Send Dr. Mabuse an ICQ Message Send Dr. Mabuse a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I totally agree with HalfMooner.

Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3

"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse

Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder.
Go to Top of Page

Dude
SFN Die Hard

USA
6891 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  23:45:09   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Dude a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I would not take issue with Olberman giving money, except that he sharply criticized FAUX for donating more than 1mil to repubs.

That said, FAUX allows it's on air people to donate. Which should tell you something about the real intent of that network.... So i can't really understand why Olberman thought he could do this and emerge unscathed. He doesn't strike me as being that dumb....

This definitely reduces his credibility as a news broadcaster, even if his primary role is editorial comment.


Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson

"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin

Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth
Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  23:58:49   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Dude

This definitely reduces his credibility as a news broadcaster, even if his primary role is editorial comment.
Ya know, I would only see a problem with it if I expected him to ask "hard questions" of liberals like he might of conservatives. But since I assume, from his obvious bias, that he wouldn't, the only problem I have is that he broke what is allegedly a long-standing rule of his employer.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page

Dude
SFN Die Hard

USA
6891 Posts

Posted - 11/07/2010 :  00:05:52   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send Dude a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Dave W.

Originally posted by Dude

This definitely reduces his credibility as a news broadcaster, even if his primary role is editorial comment.
Ya know, I would only see a problem with it if I expected him to ask "hard questions" of liberals like he might of conservatives. But since I assume, from his obvious bias, that he wouldn't, the only problem I have is that he broke what is allegedly a long-standing rule of his employer.


It is a behavior he has sharply rebuked others for engaging in. Which makes him hypocritical on the issue and reduces my opinion of him.


Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson

"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin

Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth
Go to Top of Page

HalfMooner
Dingaling

Philippines
15831 Posts

Posted - 11/07/2010 :  03:17:56   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send HalfMooner a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You know who else sent money to political candidates? Hitler, that's who.

Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive.
Edited by - HalfMooner on 11/07/2010 04:34:30
Go to Top of Page

Dave W.
Info Junkie

USA
26022 Posts

Posted - 11/07/2010 :  07:48:40   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Dave W.'s Homepage Send Dave W. a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Originally posted by Dude

It is a behavior he has sharply rebuked others for engaging in. Which makes him hypocritical on the issue and reduces my opinion of him.
Ah. I hadn't seen him doing that. Of course, I don't watch very often.

- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too.
Go to Top of Page

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 11/07/2010 :  08:18:55   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It ain't the donation; it's the hypocrisy. I've read that Scarborough and a couple of others have also made political donations, and nary a peep out of MSNBC about it.

I dunno. I think that as a private citizen, he, and anyone, should be able to give his money to anybody he wants to. Anyhow MSNBC seems to be headed into conservative hell and shitcanning Olbermann is a step in that direction.
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Juan Cole on Olbermann: MSNBC has a 'long history of throwing liberals under the bus'
by Gaius Publius on 11/06/2010 06:29:00 PM

The countdown continues, so to speak, as commenters absorb the MSNBC / Olbermann news. Juan Cole provides some needed history:

MSNBC has a long history of throwing liberals under the bus, despite its recent strategy of trying to use them to counter-program against Fox.

In the build-up to the Iraq War, MSNBC had Phil Donahue, whose evening magazine show was the highest-rated thing on the network. As the momentum for war built, the top corporate management became very nervous about having a show starring an anti-war liberal, so they fired Donahue[.] Rick Ellis wrote at the time that General Electric-owned NBC had commissioned a study of its public image, and that the consultants produced a report in which they wrote, that Donahue was a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war……He seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration’s motives.” The report worried that the war fever would benefit rival, pro-war, pro-Bush networks and implied that Donahue might succeed in branding NBC in a way that caused viewership and therefore advertising revenues to plummet.

MSNBC replaced Donahue with far right wing shock jock Michael Savage, Dick Armey and Republican Joe Scarborough (who went on to donate to a Republican politician while on the air).

Which is why I never watch the corporate news channels except for local stuff -- who shot who, and do I know any of them.




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

Go to Top of Page

filthy
SFN Die Hard

USA
14408 Posts

Posted - 11/08/2010 :  03:48:44   [Permalink]  Show Profile Send filthy a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That was quick.
Keith Olbermann returns to MSNBC on Tuesday: network president

By Stephen C. Webster
Sunday, November 7th, 2010 -- 11:31 pm

The fracas over Keith Olbermann's suspension is coming to an end.

Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, announced Sunday night via email that the network's lead liberal anchor, suspended after the disclosure of several political donations, will return to airwaves on Tuesday.

"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," Griffin wrote. "We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night."

Must be that the vision of departing dollars inspired them. That happens sometimes.....



Edited to add this:
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was suspended for refusing to apologize on air for donating to Democratic candidates, according to a report from Politico.

Mike Allen cites "network sources" who told him that Olbermann would have been allowed to continue hosting MSNBC's Countdown had he agreed to apologize on the air for donations to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates.

And:
Olbermann's suspension has provoked anger among his fan base and MSNBC viewers in general. As of last count, a petition calling for his reinstatement had more than 250,000 signatures. A Facebook page urging the same thing had 6,800 fans as of Sunday afternoon.




"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)

"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres


"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude

Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,

and Crypto-Communist!

Edited by - filthy on 11/08/2010 04:15:03
Go to Top of Page

Kil
Evil Skeptic

USA
13477 Posts

Posted - 11/08/2010 :  08:26:16   [Permalink]  Show Profile  Visit Kil's Homepage  Send Kil an AOL message  Send Kil a Yahoo! Message Send Kil a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I was wondering what was going to happen. There are a lot of people out there who think, because Countdown is a commentary show that is far from neutral, that Olbermann was under no obligation maintain journalistic neutrality in his private life. Were he presenting the news, yeah. But his isn't a news show. I'm not sure I agree because it takes some of the wind out of his sails when he is criticizing guys like Beck for doing similar things with Fox's blessings, and sometimes with Fox's money. But then, Keith's money isn't MSNBC's money. It's his own. And then there is the fact that his bosses contributed money to political campaigns to ostensibly grease the wheels for a corporate buy out. Plus others in the MSNBC family of commentators have also made contributions to candidates. So what makes Oldermann special?

My view is that Olbermann shouldn't have done it because he looses the high ground by subjecting himself to the kind of criticism that he has doled out to others. Bad move.

Never-the-less, I signed the petition. If he were the anchor of a nightly news show, there is no way I would have signed. And I remain disappointed that he did what he did.

Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.

Why not question something for a change?

Genetic Literacy Project
Go to Top of Page
Page: of 2 Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
Next Page
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly Bookmark this Topic BookMark Topic
Jump To:

The mission of the Skeptic Friends Network is to promote skepticism, critical thinking, science and logic as the best methods for evaluating all claims of fact, and we invite active participation by our members to create a skeptical community with a wide variety of viewpoints and expertise.


Home | Skeptic Forums | Skeptic Summary | The Kil Report | Creation/Evolution | Rationally Speaking | Skeptillaneous | About Skepticism | Fan Mail | Claims List | Calendar & Events | Skeptic Links | Book Reviews | Gift Shop | SFN on Facebook | Staff | Contact Us

Skeptic Friends Network
© 2008 Skeptic Friends Network Go To Top Of Page
This page was generated in 0.11 seconds.
Powered by @tomic Studio
Snitz Forums 2000