Sunday, November 07, 2010

Olbermann Suspended

Olbermann Off: Journalists are limited when it comes to politics. That's the price we pay for our profession. You won't see me taking part in a rally opposing abortion (or one supporting abortion rights). You won't see me voting in a primary (people can try to surmise to which political party you belong if you vote in a primary. Of course, just because you vote in a primary, doesn't mean you always vote for that party. But, that's neither here nor there). You also won't see me writing a check to my favorite politician. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann apparently got caught writing checks to some Democratic politicians. Now, he is off the air. Is that fair? Is Olbermann a journalist? Here's how Merriam-Webster defines journalism (journalist is described as a person who practices journalism, so we'll skip ahead here...)

jour·nal·ism noun \ˈjər-nə-ˌli-zəm\
Definition of JOURNALISM
1a : the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media b : the public press c : an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium
2a : writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine b : writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation c : writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest

I'm looking at the last definition under 2a...the part about "writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation" .

Clearly, we can all agree Olbermann adds his own interpretation, opinion, etc., to his work. He is not a "reporter". So, since everyone knows his political bias, should he be exempted from NBC's policy regarding political contributions? It's not like Lester Holt just got nailed for doing it (which, of course, would be personally devastating with my whole professional man-crush on Lester and all...). What do you think? Should Olbermann get a pass on this? Should be stay suspended until he apologizes? Should he get canned?

Tie Problem: Is there a 12-step program for ties? I'm kidding, of course. And I'm not trying to make light of people with serious addictions. So, I say this all in fun. But, perhaps, I do have a problem with ties. I just cleaned out 10 from my closet. And it's tough to tell. Not sure what it is about ties. But I just can't get enough of them. I have probably gotten rid of 40 ties or so the past 3 or 4 years. I don't even want to admit how many I still have. Here are the discards. Anyone need a tie?



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

One down, more to come. Need to have a few here in Des Moines to go also.

Shawn Dietz said...

Personally, I do not agree with Keith Olberman on many of his opinions. So much to the point that until NBC removed him from Sunday Night Football coverage I would refuse to watch the pre-game, halftime, and post-game coverage. However, I do believe in allowing people to have a political voice, regardless of their profession. In my opinion, if you're the type of person (such as Olberman) where you would feel the urge to donate to a political cause, then perhaps journalism isn't for you. Likewise, for MSNBC to make the assumption that their policy makes the public believe that Olberman, Maddow, Matthews or the rest are un-bias is insane. Which, to me, begs the question; is this the network's attempt to make their commentators appear in the political center? If so, epic fail. If not, reinstate Olberman. Maybe the network's real problem is the fact that he made the call to tone down his speech, and stop doing the "Worst Person in the World" segment? I liked Keith on ESPN and would like to see him be successful in whatever he chooses, whether I agree with his political stances or not. So, my suggestion to Mr. Olberman would be to tell the MSNBC brass that he's headed out the door, and take over for Juan Williams as the most conservative commentator on NPR. HA!

Dave Price said...

Anonymous,

Any names of people in Des Moines you want out?