I'm not going to rehash my distaste for MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. In my opinion, he's no better than the "journalists" at Fox News. But apparently MSNBC is. Or at least they want to be.
Olbermann was suspended Friday after it came to light that he'd donated $7,200 to three Democratic candidates (one of whom appeared as a guest on his show just last week). NBC News has rules barring its hosts and reporters from making political contributions without prior approval. One can argue that the rule is unfair, but presumably Olbermann knew about it and knowingly broke it. Suspension is a no-brainer.
Now, about Fox... Not only do their on-air people like Sean Hannity make political donations (including to some of the very people who appear on their shows), the network employs Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee, who both actively endorse and raise money for candidates. The network itself gives money to Republican organizations, including $1 million to the Republican Governors Association just this year from News Corp., Fox News' parent company.
No, this is not a "but Fox does it, too!" excuse. If you ask me, the fact that Fox News does something is an excellent reason NOT to do that very thing. When we're talking about journalistic ethics, you could do a lot worse than looking at Fox News standards and then doing the opposite.
And I'm fine with NBC News' rule about political donations for the very people its reporters are supposed to be covering objectively. For frak's sake, are we really having this debate? If you want to advocate for one politician or another, don't take a job that requires your neutrality on that very topic.
While "Countdown" is definitely an opinion-based program, Olbermann also anchored MSNBC's election night coverage this year. (I watched CNN, by the way.) That makes him a journalist, not a commentator. As a viewer, I insist that the journalists I watch investigate and report the news, not help make it.
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