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MSNBC Suspends Olbermann Over Campaign Contributions

Nov 5, 2010  •  Post A Comment

The host of MSNBC’s "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" has been suspended by the network for donations he made to candidates running in last Tuesday’s election, Deadline.com reported.

Olbermann issued a statement confirming his actions: "One week ago, on the night of Thursday, October 28, 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the re-election campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky. I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level."

MSNBC suspended Olbermann indefinitely because the donations could be considered a conflict of interest. The company’s policy requires that employees obtain advance permission for such donations, the story says.

5 Comments

  1. Why is he in trouble for this? He’s not an impartial journalist; he’s an opinionist (to coin a phrase). While I disagree with him on every point, I don’t have a problem with him making political donations to the party or candidate of his choice.

  2. There’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye. Either this is Olbermann’s boss showing him who’s who, or this is a preemptive strike to get Keith to quit (without having to pay out his $8 million contract) prior to the Comcast buy-out.
    You say you want a corporate media? You’re gonna get the corporate media…

  3. Say what? Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart hold activist rallies on the Washington mall, and KO is suspended for excercising his constitutional right to support the political candidates of his choice? Is there anyone in America who thought KO was conservative? Who is MSNBC kidding here about impartiality. Too bad KO suspended his “Worst Person In The World” segment, because the author of this decision would win hands down.

  4. This is endemic in the entertainment industry (e.g.,Keith Olbermann, Imus in the Morning, Juan Williams, et al). You bust your tail for your employer, you bring in millions in business, you are one of the best in the company — Then one little piddly thing, and you are unceremoniously pushed out the door with no cake and cookies party. That’s what can happen at any moment in time when you work in an eggshell industry. Hopefully, Olbermann will end up with more money than before, like Juan Williams. Keith Warn Ibex Productions

  5. The problem with comparing Keith Olbermann to Beck and Stewart is neither of these guys pretend to be on a news program.

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