MSNBC is dropping Olberman and Matthews as news anchors

of live political events because they are
opinionated... to opinionated

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800008_pf.html



MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign.

David Gregory, the NBC newsman and White House correspondent who also hosts a program on MSNBC, will take over during such events as this fall's presidential and vice presidential debates and election night.

The move, confirmed by spokesmen for both networks, follows increasingly loud complaints about Olbermann's anchor role at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Olbermann, who regularly assails President Bush and GOP nominee John McCain on his "Countdown" program, was effusive in praising the acceptance speech of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. He drew flak Thursday when the Republicans played a video that included a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that if the networks had done that, "we would be rightly eviscerated at all quarters, perhaps by the Republican Party itself, for exploiting the memories of the dead, and perhaps even for trying to evoke that pain again. If you reacted to that videotape the way I did, I apologize."


lost

MSNBC is making a big mistake by excluding Matthews and Olbermann. The media falling in line with the repigs propaganda machine.

MSNBC, Viewer Services, viewerservices@msnbc.com

The provably spineless and unimaginative Jeffrey Zucker, bowing to pressure from the McCain campaign and the RNC. Zucker is already embroiled in a controversy over some bozo he hired who is a huge stoner and a waste of skin and gravity. Zucker cannot seem to find the courage to get rid of him. But when faced with two competent journalists, he suddemly is a man of action.

Yeah, swamp them with protests, especially NBC and Zucker.

And I'm the queen of England. :eyes:

KMA, GEM$NBC.

Write to them. And when you are done with that, donate to Obama, if you can.

Chris M was a reliable GOP hack for a long time. The Rockefeller-GE network isn't very forgiving when their help start to show a little independent thinking, are they?

like Joe Scarborough.

one step closer to fascism.

And Gregory stays.

MSNBC knows it should follow the Olbermann-Maddow direction for marketing, but their GE overlords want to take the cable news network to the right. They're hell bent on moving the channel to the right, in spite of the support we lend them because of Olbermann and Maddow.

Without Olbermann and Maddow, MSNBC can't break even.

I figured someone actually "got it" when they made the move more left, gave Maddow her own show, etc.

But I guess not. The idiots on Fox don't apologize for what they do. The type of crowd that watches MSNBC, is the type of crowd that wants people called out for their BS, and would disapprove of this move.

them, too. Psssst. 'Do something'.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/

:hi:

Couldn't they just remove Tweety and pair Gregory with Keith? At least then there'd be a visible balance.

re-olberman/matthews moves

i am so disappointed that msnbc has caved to vociferous protests by the brain damaged minority of this country. they have been at the wheel as we have been driven into the ditch. i was so grateful for the commentary by keith and rachel maddow on election and convention nights. i even found chris matthews informative and interesting, although i find his regular show to be mostly propaganda.
perhaps, as a news organization, you might want to take note of the fact that the citizenry of this country has pretty much awoken from the slumber induced by the reagan years, and knows that the tv news is, for the most part, riddled with lies. now that we have so much other information at our finger tips, we don't need the tv news. we are, however, quite upset at seeing this sort of thing fed to those who do not have access to all the alternative sources that the technically savvy can find.
we have supported ko, and begun to look favorable on msnbc for not only keeping him, but for adding the great rachel maddow to your line up. you have built up a small reservoir of good will among those whose brains still function. i beg you not to blow it by removing ko and chris from the anchor chairs. i will either watch the debates on cpan, or listen to them on radio is there is no one in the anchor chairs whose brain is connected to their mouths.

thank you for considering my input
sincerely yours

Mailed

But that is what we like about them! They are a good counter to the Brit Humes and
other obviously opinionated anchors out there.

We need a better reason to keep them other than trying to paint them as neutral.

The right wing has plenty of brainless idiots to do their bidding on air. Keith speaks the truth, and they can't handle the truth.

I told them that they should get rid of their opinionated anchors from political events as soon as Fox does. Keith and Rachel are the only reasons I watch MSNBC, and I know I can't be the only one.

:cry:

"When I watch politics, I watch MSNBC & Chris Matthews & Keith Olbermann are a big part of that. There are few, if any, outlets for news with such smart, savvy people. I am extremely disappointed with the decision to remove Matthews & Olbermann from political events. The most frustrating part is that you are bowing down to the Republican party that frankly doesn't watch your network anyway! Fox news is a joke not because they show a bias, but because they CLAIM to be fair & balanced while showing an extreme bias to the Republican party. We cannot allow this same party to dictate who is allowed to comment & how. While Matthews & Olbermann do sometimes exhibit bias during these types of events, they are clear on their lean & there are others to counterbalance their points. What else is needed? As journalists, it's your job to show the different sides to the issues & to accurately inform the public. This is a very serious duty & protects our rights. This move to appease the whining of the Republican party shows a lack of respect for your duty to the citizens of this country & that the true bias in media is to weakness. Have some strength to stand up for what's right & give everyone a voice or I'll be watching CSPAN & PBS from now on!

Sincerely,"


I can't believe how WEAK our media is!

KO was hampered by the anchor role. As analyst he can tell it like it is. Go Keith!

...now he can speak his mind and not have to worry about potential ramifications...

the coverage? That's what I am afraid of. imho

How many fucking threads dealing INEPTLY with the same MINOR "inside baseball" story??? (Sheesh!)

Assholes.

week in St. Paul. Amy Goodman's plate is over-flowing now!

know exactly why he's being replaced as well? They all got specific as to the whys about KO but Tweety, not so much.

and Gregory and Browkaw-----palease!

They know MSNBC's choice represented this narrow crack away from the fun-house mirror world that every other network media presented, and showed us for a brief moment, the world as it was, or at least closer.

In doing so, the Republicans revealed their position, their weakness, which is what we suspected all along- that most of the power accumulated over the years is because of a press that's in the tank, whether blatantly like FOX, or just tacitly like CNN.

THAT's why they are fighting back so hard. Keith Olbermann has a personal smear campaign going against him by FOX 'news' and the right-wing owned rag NY Post. Why would they do that unless he represented a threat? It's inevitable they will do the same thing to Rachel as she peels back the lies.

It doesn't make it any easier to overcome, it does mean we know where their soft underbelly is and where to put the (figurative) knife.

Told them Gregory has been an apologist for the Bush Administration and is a right wing hack. Said I had been an avid listener to MSNBC but now would have to get my news from the internet.

If you aren't tongue-kissing McCain's rectum and acting as though he hasn't been partially responsible for all the mess that we are in today. If you can hide your disgust for McCain's transmogrification from a tolerable politician into McBush only THEN can you be said to be impartial.