Olbermann blogs from Daily Kos…
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is now blogging from Daily Kos.
Yeah, it’s me.
Hi.
Sure has taken me long enough. But, as you may know, I am the shy, retiring type: Hesitant to state an opinion in public and horrified to pass judgment or seem a scold.
Ok, before the Right and OlbermannWatch go ballistic…oh wait…let’s calmly examine what this really means.
I think it means nothing really. Nothing has changed.
Look, the facts are Countdown is now acknowledged externally by Olbermann himself and other MSNBC execs as having gone left. Whether you like that or not, and there are plenty of people on both sides of that battle, it’s now an established given. So what does blogging from Daily Kos do to change that? Nothing. It’s a smart move from a programming standpoint. That’s where Countdown’s audience spike over the past year and a half is coming from; from the left. So why not have Olbermann blog from one of the big hot spots of liberalism on the internet?
I agree….this isn’t a big deal. Anyone who watches the show realizes where Olbermann is coming from and there’s no harm in getting more in-touch with the target audience (although I would argue that Olbermann is putting a cap on his viewing audience, but he will have a steady, loyal viewership).
Comment by FishOil — January 14, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
I gotta disagree with you FishOil. There are apparently more people than we’d like to think who don’t know where Olbermann is coming from, but are loyal viewers nonetheless. This weekend, I posted back and forth with “Paco” in the “Abrams vs. O’Reilly” thread from the 11th.
This is what he said: “You [Abrams] and Keith are the saving graces and journalistic heros [sic] of this generation!” “…they [Abrams and Olbermann] do journalism proud. They are the Edward R. Murrow’s of this generation. Everynight, [sic] they fight agianst [sic] the right wing media bias. And if you think im being unfair… the truth has a liberal bias people. In times like these, we need people on TV who aren’t afaird [sic] to speak out…”
I (and I believe you too) would like to believe that even his audience knows where he’s coming from… a very left-wing liberal point-of-view. But the fact is, many of them don’t… they believe he’s telling the unbiased truth… and it is everyone else who’s wrong and biased for not agreeing with them. The notion that anyone could think that Olbermann is providing balanced or unbiased coverage seems crazy… but as “Paco” proves, there are people who do.
Now, to the topic at hand… the only reason it’s a “big deal” is because the show is still billed as being a “news” program, not an “opinion” program. Olbermann’s joining with the KOS makes that an obvious lie, and IMO reflects poorly on MSNBC as a news organization. If they cannot tell the difference between real journalism, and opinion journalism… or if they cannot bring themselves to admit that Olbermann’s program is an opinion program… I find it real hard to trust their judgment in other areas.
Additionally, it does taint everything else that Olbermann does. Being that KOS is more than just a discussion site, it’s an advocacy site, one must now question the motivation for his reports. Sure, prior to this, many of us would do that anyway… but now that it’s official and undeniable, we have to ask, “Is his show a report on the daily events from a specific political perspective… OR is it an advocacy program for one particular way of thinking?” It’s a tough spot he’s put himself in, but knowing how the media works, I doubt he’ll get called on it. Either way, I don’t like that this is the road journalism is heading down.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 14, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
Theres nothing wrong with KO blogging for Daily Kos but lets just don’t let him get away from separating himself from the very far left parts of the Kossacs like the Thruthers and Anti-semitics and the founder and his infamous “Screw them” remark.
Comment by mlong — January 14, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
Imnotblue,
Are you just as upset that Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Bill O, Lou Dobbs, Larry King and Sean Hannity call themselves journalists?
I wish ALL Cable “news” channels would draw a line between their talk radio shows and news programs, but no one seems to be demanding it of the right, so why not allow the left to do it as well?
Comment by Cory!! Strode — January 15, 2008 @ 12:16 am
After reading through some of the messages at Kos, one gets the impression that he was given a user status that enables him to delete criticism and ban his critics from posting.
Imagine being able to banish anyone who disagrees with you. It would be like having a show on MSNBC.
Comment by Jim — January 15, 2008 @ 12:30 am
Well, Cory!! (why so enthusiastic after the first name, but not the last?) most of those guys don’t consider or call themselves journalists.
Rush, Savage, and Hannity… I don’t believe have ever called themselves journalists. They are commentators… pundits… but certainly not journalists. Plus, only Hannity has a television program.
O’Reilly does opinion journalism, which means he gives his opinion, as well as does journalistic investigations. He frequently refers to his show as a “discussion program” and it is called as such by the FOX News channel.
Dobbs (although I don’t watch much of his program at all) is pretty similar to O’Reilly. Larry King is the only one on the list who is somewhat of a journalist. I don’t recall hearing many people complain about him giving his opinion. I wouldn’t call him a journalist, though… in my book, he’s just a host. He has a program that talks about current events topics, but isn’t really intended to be a hard news or serious debate program.
I agree all the networks could do a better job of drawing the line… but KO joining with an outside advocacy group, throws up red flags to me. But bottom line, there is no way his show should be, or can be, called a “news” program. It is opinion… and MSNBC needs to come to terms with that.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 15, 2008 @ 12:34 am
Here’s the problem. He accused the Joint Chiefs of Staff of a conspiracy to create a “Gulf of Tonkin” with that Iran Speedboat incident. He did it during his worse person in the world segment. Even the NY Times hasn’t intimated such a thing. It’s incredibly irresponsible. He did it because that’s the narrative on these blogs. He is doing BLOG NEWS!!!
Comment by PLuke — January 15, 2008 @ 1:44 am
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. It is no different than Brit Hume going on Laura Ingraham’s radio show, which I’ve heard him do. And I don’t think MSNBC has a liberal bias. I think they tell the truth.
Comment by Paco — January 15, 2008 @ 2:19 am
That’s “truth to power”.
Kind of like making a “left to power” turn on red.
Comment by Jim — January 15, 2008 @ 4:49 am
and ImNotBlue… Olbermann’s program IS an opinion program… they admit that. Just like Bill O’Reilly. Just Hannity & Colmes. Opinion. Get it.
Comment by Paco — January 15, 2008 @ 6:55 am
The US releases a tape and says Iran speed boats threatened our ships.. followed by Bush spewing propaganda about the event. Oh, did I mention Iran had a video of their own? Ahhh, now it becomes clear, the US Navy and others have said it was possibly a heckler and a coincidence. So, does Bush apologize for adding a gigantic “inciting” lie to the story? Hell no, he ramps up the crap on Iran. Well, I think enough US Soldiers have died for lies and don’t need anymore more mother/father “less” families.
Comment by Terance — January 15, 2008 @ 7:10 am
They admit that Countdown is an opinion program? Since when? Check out TV Guide-it’s categorized as a news program there. The network refers to it internally and externally as a news program. YOU may think it’s an opinion program and we all know it’s an opinion program but it’s still being billed as a news program by the network all the while Olbermann still tries to pass himself off as a journalist.
Quite frankly, I’m a little shocked to hear Spud say there’s nothing wrong with Olbermann blogging from a political partisan site. I’m shocked the network even allowed him to do it. Didn’t NBC take major heat last week when a reporter admitted it was hard to stay neutral when covering the political campaigns? So now we have Olbermann openly blogging at a Democratic partisan site? Good God, no wonder the media is so screwed up in this country. And the question still remains-doesn’t he have his own section up at the MSNBC website? Why wasn’t this posted there instead? Surely it has a much higher traffic count than Daily Kos does?
Comment by Alison — January 15, 2008 @ 8:39 am
Well if were gonna get picky. I am personally offended when BillO says “We hope you stay tuned for those REPORTS” when in all actually he should say “We hope stay tuned for those OPINIONS.”
If your gonna be that picky, it has to work for both sides.
The thing is that the public knows Olbermann’s show is an opinion program, just like they know BillO’s and H&C’s is.
Comment by Paco — January 15, 2008 @ 9:31 am
Hey Terance, Why don’t you inform Keith “I ALSO GET LOW RATINGS IN BED” Olbermann what a small and some explosives can do to a US Navy Ship? I bet the family members of the dead US Sailors from the USS Cole well have something to say to Keith “Cheap Hotels and a bottle of Merlot” Olbermann about his Gulf of Tonkin conspiracy….
Comment by ZoneDaiatlas — January 15, 2008 @ 9:56 am
ZoneDaiatlas, seeing that I NEVER watch KO, perhaps you’ll see him before I do, eh.
Comment by Terance — January 15, 2008 @ 10:06 am
Why is it that after reading Kos, you feel like you need a good hot bath with lye soap?
Comment by spiffo — January 15, 2008 @ 10:36 am
KOS and KO are the same in that no dissent is allowed on their venues. Nice to see KO can delete and ban critics on KOS now. So much for freedom and liberty.
Comment by eddiebear — January 15, 2008 @ 11:04 am
I was watching Hannity and Geraldo going crazy over that Iranian speedboat story (”We shoulda blown ‘em away!) when they played the video/audio of the incident released by the Pentagon. OH MY GOD! I laughed out loud. It was a joke. An obvious fake. How could anyone be so gullible as to take this seriously. I waited for Geraldo to at least show some skepticism over that silly voice saying “You will explode in a couple minutes.” Nope. All sturm und drang over this prank.
Finally, people are starting to realize that the Navy or Pentagon spokespeople are either deliberately trying to fool us or they are so stupid they believed this “heckler” was for real. If you still believe that threat was real then you are a fool.
Comment by Alleen — January 15, 2008 @ 11:15 am
From MSNBC’s own website, he’s the definition of “Countdown”:
“Keith Olbermann is host of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” “Countdown,” a unique newscast that counts down the day’s top stories with Keith’s particular wit and style, telecasts weeknights, 8-9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.”
I’m sorry, my glasses may be a little dirty… but where does it say “OPINION”… I see that it says “NEWSCAST”, but not “OPINION.” Oooh, maybe they mean “OPINION” when they say “WIT AND STYLE”… but a political opinion or bias isn’t really much of a style. Hmmm, interesting how they left the part out.
And Paco, I don’t understand how you can say: “And I don’t think MSNBC has a liberal bias. I think they tell the truth.“ and then contradict yourself by going on to say: “and ImNotBlue… Olbermann’s program IS an opinion program… they admit that. Just like Bill O’Reilly. Just Hannity & Colmes. Opinion. Get it.”
I get it… do you?
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 15, 2008 @ 11:20 am
I think ya’ll are missing the point, whether or not the audio was correct, those speed boats were threatening our war ships, period! After several incidents where they did the same, Bush was just warning them to back off! If you think Hillary or Barack would have done any different your in a fantasy. Bottom line the President is the commander in chief and has the responsibility to protect our soldiers and our allies! Get over yourselves. Your in for a rude awakening if you think anything is going to change in the way our country operates, Dim or Rep.!!!!!
Comment by shannon20 — January 15, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
Shannon20 — DUH! Both parties are corrupt. And I’m sure ya noticed Bush started ramping up “how dangerous Iran is” after this BS story… as if “see I told you they were bad boys, here is the proof!” Oh wait, that proof was a sham just like the governments we prop up around the world.
Comment by Terance — January 15, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
Now that KO, who is a diehard Hillary supporter, is on KOS, will that mean the site will abandon any supporters of Obama?
Comment by eddiebear — January 15, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Terance, I’m not debating politics here. I’m debating the whereins and whys of how it is that it’s okay for someone who labels himself as a news anchors of what their network bills as a newscast to blog on an extremely partisan website. I might even could have understood Huffington Post but Daily Kos? It’s like Charlie Gibson blogging on Free Republic or Brian Williams blogging on a KKK website. Get it now? If Olbermann wants to be the lapdog of the left, let himself and his network properly label him that way, not continuously try to prop him up as a journalist.
Comment by Alison — January 15, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Alison, sorry to disappoint ya, but I could care less about KO.
Comment by Terance — January 15, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
terrance, how mature of you! I’m betting there was some eye rolling going on when you commented DUH! If all commentators are liars and all politicians are liars, why do you waste your time commenting?????? I’m entitled to give my opinion just like you are………
Comment by shannon20 — January 15, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
“Comments have been Disabled for this Article”
Looks like Keith’s intern can’t keep up with the “trolls”.
Comment by Jim — January 15, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
Shannon20, I didn’t say anything about all commentators being liars or you not being entitled to express an opinion. FYI, the “duh” was in direct response to, “Your in for a rude awakening if you think anything is going to change in the way our country operates, Dim or Rep.!!!!!”
So, now that I’ve explained things to you. I thought the “DUH” was really funny. Oh and I could care less if anyone rolls their eyes or a joint when reading my posts, eh.
Comment by Terance — January 15, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
This is a HUGE deal!
Kos wrote this about his blog: “This is a Democratic blog, a partisan blog…. It’s a Democratic blog with one goal in mind: electoral victory.”
Olbermann is a liberal pundit, which is fine (even if I don’t agree with anything he says). But there’s always been a rule that the press does not team up with political parties, and Olbermann has completely crossed that line.
Comment by Buck — January 15, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
ImNotBlue,
“Well, Cory!! (why so enthusiastic after the first name, but not the last?)”
In the late 80’s, I wrote for comic books, where the printing was so bad, you had to add an exclamation point at the end of every sentance. I kept it as part of my name because I just got so used to adding them.
” most of those guys don’t consider or call themselves journalists.”
I disagree. Limbaugh ROUTINELY says he is the only source of news for his listeners, O’Reilly often touts his journalism (most recently over the Obama kerfluffle), Lou Dobbs is referred to as a “newsman” and “journalist”, Larry King did as well on his old radio show.
I think it is vital that cable news channels define what is news and what is not. It’s why fewer people trust news sources here in the US.
Comment by Cory!! Strode — January 15, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
NBC continues to pretend that KO is some sort of professional journalist all the while letting him pull highly partisan stunts like this. They even included him in NBC-sponsored debates this year. Could you imagine the the outrage of Fox tried to name BO as a moderator of a democrat debate?
Comment by News Consumer — January 15, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
Very well said, News Consumer. I think the following says it all: Keith Olbermann has joined the blogs where you had Markos Moulitsas say about those murdered contract workers in Fallujah, “I feel nothing for these mercernaries…Screw them.” That’s who Olbermann is now in bed with. ‘Nuff said.
Comment by Damail — January 16, 2008 @ 12:32 am
Imnotblue… I don’t think MSNBC has any bias in their news reporting. I understand that Olbermann, Matthews, Carlson, Scarborough, and Abrams are opinion programs. I get that. Just because they don’t say it… doesn’t mean people don’t understand it. And on my TV guide, it classifies BillO and H&C as “News/Business.” But am I gonna freak out? I think MSNBC is balanced because they have republicans like Scarborough on for 6 hours a day and Tucker Carlson. Thats balance. Fox’s only liberal is Alan Colmes. The rest are ALL republicans. Thats not fair and balanced. And MSNBC doesn’t even claim to be fair and balanced… Fox does! Thats why.
Comment by Paco — January 16, 2008 @ 3:21 am
Paco:
Scarborough has all but abandoned the GOP, and routinely is as harsh as Olby when it comes to his treatment of Bush and the Republicans. He started this in order to keep his job at a leftist network.
And if/when Tucker is shown the door, Joe will be the only “Conservative” left there.
Comment by eddiebear — January 16, 2008 @ 10:39 am
Okay, I’m going to break this down real simple like.
Here’s what FOXNews.com says about “The O’Reilly Factor”:
“Now in its tenth year on the air, “The O’Reilly Factor” on the FOX News Channel remains the dominant number one cable news program in the USA. …Blending news analysis with investigative reporting, “The Factor” has gained international prominence as well — it is now seen in more than 30 countries.”
VERSUS what MSNBC.com says about “Countdown with Keith Olbermann”:
“Keith Olbermann is host of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” “Countdown,” a unique newscast that counts down the day’s top stories with Keith’s particular wit and style, telecasts weeknights, 8-9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.”
They key words in FOX’s description is “news analysis.” In other words: discussion, debate, and opinions about the news. Nothing in “Countdown’s” description says anything about opinion. And now that KO has joined with KOS, it’s obvious what opinion will be presented, so it should say “liberal or Democratic point-of-view.”
______
Paco, are you really going to say that MSNBC is “balanced” because they have a “Republican” (and one uses that very loosely in this case) hosting their MORNING SHOW?! It’s the morning show for Pete’s sake… it’s not even in the same caliber as an afternoon talk program, it’s a MORNING SHOW! And, as has been said before, Tucker is not a Republican, he is a libertarian… there’s a difference.
Now, forgetting all that, the difference is that even though FNC has more right leaning hosts, they allow guests with varying opinions on the programs to challenge them. No show is a forum for the hosts personal opinions… ever show offers some sort of counter balance. On Keith’s program, however, there is no counter balance, there is no debate… the program is Keith’s own personal soapbox, where he is allowed to put forth whatever he feels like, unchallenged. That is the number one objection most of us have against him and MSNBC.
“MSNBC doesn’t claim to be fair and balanced…” puh-lease. That’s like saying after you run over a bunch of pedestrians… “Well, I never said I wasn’t going to hit them.” They’re (allegedly) a news organization, they have a responsibility to be “fair and balanced.” And again, FNC uses “f and b” to mean they’ll allow ALL sides of the opinion to be heard… MSNBC can’t say the same thing.
As for the TV Guide part… well, this post is getting long, so I’ll break it into two, and begin with that below…
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 16, 2008 @ 10:54 am
And on my TV guide, it classifies BillO and H&C as “News/Business.”
Comment by Paco — January 16, 2008 @ 3:21 am
I can only assume you mean through your television system’s on-screen guide, that it classifies it as “News/Business.” What that says to me, is that your provider’s guide only has a few categories, so that is the closest fit. For example, instead of saying “Action Movie” or “Romantic Comedy”… they’re both just “Movies.”
Let’s take a look, however, at TVGuide.com’s description of both shows. You can find this if you search the “What’s on TV” grid, and then click on the program title.
Here’s the description for “The O’Reilly Factor”:
“The bestselling author mixes news, interviews and analyses, and some of his most passionate commentaries, not surprisingly, deal with liberals (such as, to pick one name at random, Al Franken.) The conservative guru’s ‘No Spin Zone’ has been the major factor in Fox News’ climb (past CNN) to the top of the cable-news chart, with some three million viewers nightly.”
Key words: ‘analyses’, ‘passionate commentaries’, ‘deal with liberals’ (mentions Al Franken), ‘conservative guru’.
Seems to me, that it’s pretty clear this is an opinion program, and from what side of the political spectrum O’Reilly is coming from.
Now, let’s look at “Countdown with Keith Olbermann”:
“The nightly news program ranks the day’s top five stories by what will likely be the next morning’s hottest topics for discussion. ‘It’s a hard-news broadcast produced and hosted by people who are uncontrollably silly,’ quips the wry Olbermann, who also conducts newsmaker interviews.”
Key words: ‘news program’, ‘hard-news broadcast’, ‘newsmaker interviews.’
Where does it say it’s an opinion show? Where does it say he’s a “liberal”? Where does it say he spends much of his show “dealing with conservatives like Bill O’Reilly”? The only ‘discussion’ it talks about, is the discussion YOU’LL be doing AFTER watching it!
There is a clear difference in the billing of these two programs… FNC openly advertises this as a “debate/analysis/opinion program”… MSNBC (and Keith, who was quoted in this description) still think it’s a hard news, and do not talk about its opinion or liberal backbone. That’s a huge difference, and there is no denying it.
Comment by ImNotBlue — January 16, 2008 @ 10:54 am
But since FNC has “news” in its name, it should only be allowed to broadcast “straight” news. This would be only news critical of the prez or anything the Clintons declare to be “the truth”.
MSNBC has “MS”, short for Microsoft, in its name. As everyone knows, Microsoft is legend for spreading Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt - lying - about their competition. So Keith is only living up to the standards set by is master’s namesake.
Comment by Jim — January 16, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
Olbermann is full of it. He knows it. Conservatives know it. And what use to be a great show has turned into attack everyone. He is not a News analyst. And even the touted Sports reporter is even weak in that area. Glad NBC does not carry NFL games for the rest of the year. MSNBC is losing ground. And no matter what Olbermann does he can’t beat Fox’s Bill O’Reilly.
Comment by Bruce — January 17, 2008 @ 10:21 pm