How NBC can fix its Keith Olbermann debacle

Olbermann has never pretended to be a bias-free journalist, says Jack Shafer at &quot;Slate.&quot;

(Image credit: MSNBC-TV)

last updated 8 January 2015

MSNBC and its parent, NBC, really bungled the Keith Olbermann affair, says Jack Shafer at Slate. It was a "weakly suspicious" move to suspend the "Countdown" anchor "for a grand total of two days" after he violated the company's ethics policy by donating $7,200 to Democrat candidates without first securing permission. Really, why suspend Olbermann at all? The rule is clearly meant to keep straight-news journalists from looking biased, but both Olbermann and his colleague Rachel Maddow are absolutely "transparent about coming at the news from a liberal angle." If their viewers expect straight news, instead of liberal opinion, says Shafer, "it's the network's failing — not theirs." Here, an excerpt:

Instead of viewing Olbermann's partisanship as a liability, NBC should treat it as an asset. To paraphrase something [American Prospect co-founder] Paul Starr once wrote to [sociologist] Michael Schudson, in the minds of many readers, the editorial pages of a newspaper vouchsafe the credibility of its news columns by saying here is opinion, and over here is fact... [By] stating unequivocally that Countdown and Maddow are opinion magazines, and, hell yes, shredding that no-contribution-without-permission policy — the network could better brand these two shows and its other programs.

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