Right on the heels of the lowest viewer ratings in their category, pMSNBC suspends Kieth Olbermann indefinitely and without pay.
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC’s primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced Friday.
The offense being a violation of NBC’s ethics policy. Ethics policy? There’s a joke there somewhere . . .
The offense was donating $2400 each to three Democrat(ic) candidates. The network policy requires the news division employees to get permission before making political donations because (here’s the funny part) it ‘could be deemed as a conflict of interest.’ CNN says that they have a similar provision in their rules of engagement.
Were it not in the network’s ‘ethics policy’ I wouldn’t have a problem with him wasting his money on anyone trying to run for office. But to think that it took this little incident to call their attention to a potential conflict of interest issue has me ROTFL. Don’t they ever listen to what he says on the air? I would expect that he had a payroll deduction arrangement going to the DNC for crying out loud.
Where MSNBC is concerned, it is too little too late. Between Olbermann and Chris Matthews, it is no surprise that their ratings are down to employees, friends, and relatives.
Link: CNN; Olbermann suspended for Dem contributions
UPDATE 11/7/2010: Indefinite = 2 days. Olbermann back on Tuesday.
UPDATE 11/8/2010: Chris Hayes, editor of The Nation, a liberal magazine, tapped Friday by MSNBC to fill in for Keith Olebermann as host of the prime-time political show “Countdown.” Turns out, he gave money to two Democratic campaigns in recent years. Now, following that disclosure, MSNBC says Mr. Hayes won’t get the gig after all.
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