AP Uncritically Reports Giuliani Campaign’s Efforts To Marginalize Olbermann

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/05/ap-on-olbermann/

AP Uncritically Reports Giuliani Campaign’s Efforts To Marginalize Olbermann

Last week, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann delivered a special comment criticizing Rudy Giuliani for his recent partisan fearmongering. This week, he hosted MSNBC’s coverage of the Republican presidential debate.

Olbermann’s presence on debate night coverage angered the Giuliani campaign. The AP reports:

The Giuliani campaign privately expressed its concern to NBC News about Olbermann’s role in the days leading up to last Thursday’s debate. … MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said a Giuliani campaign representative had called NBC News to complain about Olbermann being part of the debate telecast following his commentary.

The Giuliani campaign has a right to make its complaints known, just as many on the left have raised arguments about the bias of Fox News’ participation in Democratic debates. But it’s the role of the media to place the story in its proper context, and the AP account fails to do that.

Blindly accepting the Giuliani campaign’s argument, the AP story singles out Olbermann for criticism. “Olbermann’s popularity and evolving image as an idealogue has led NBC News to stretch traditional notions of journalistic objectivity,” the story reports. It continues, “Even for television hosts unafraid to say what they think — Chris Matthews, for instance — there’s still a little mystery about what they’ll do inside a voting booth.”

The AP fails to note that another MSNBC host who was involved in debate night coverage — Joe Scarborough — campaigned for President Bush in 2004. Media Matters has noted that Scarborough also helped propagate partisan talking points. There is certainly no mystery as to who he voted for.

The issue here isn’t Olbermann, who fairly and ably quarterbacked the debate coverage. By uncritically reporting the Guiliani campaign’s argument, the AP engaged in the very bias that its report implies it is above.

[monmouth]

1. Giuliani's campaign shouldn't worry, Rudy will be gone before it matters.

The fact that Keith is a professional must be a killer, but if one checks the FReeper threads, Rudy is waaaay down on the list. Mitt's the man these days. Go Keith, eliminate Chris and take your rightful place.

[Ian David]

2. Not to throw Keith under the bus, but he sure did kiss-up to the Repukes during the debate

Calling it a "regal procession" and whatnot.

I guess even the mighty Olbermann can be cowed into submission by that ass-hat Dan Abrams.

[youngdem]

3. Yup. Sad, really. He's the best, and at the end of the day, his paycheck still comes from

MSRNC.

[Berry Cool]

4. Nonsense. He did not "kiss up" to the Repukes.

He reported on what he SAW. What he saw was a bunch of people trying to make themselves look regal and kingly. That was what he reported on. That's part of a journalist's job--to report on the kind of image people are trying to project. He didn't pass judgment on it and say it was good. He didn't say he was impressed or fooled. He just said it EXISTED.

For crying out loud, he hasn't let MSNBC dictate his opinions to him before, and he isn't doing it now. He's just restricting them to his own show. Did you not watch last night? He was joking about the candidates being "ten of the whitest guys you'll ever see."

[stray cat]

5. I prefer Olbermann as a reall journalist versus an ideologue

Let him keep his journalistic credibility. The US has enough rabid ideologues. Its refreshing to see a rational discourse that doesn't bow to mindless rhetoric on either side.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. They did not say

"journalistic objectivity!" Oh, please. The MSM?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Rydz777]

7. Keith was "balanced" by the presence of Tweety who did

his best to make the whole debate irrelevant to any serious purpose.